Be My Saviour
by Jim Clancys Lollipop
Summary: Melinda's world is falling apart, the man she fell in love with has changed, he's angry...violent. Will she get out? Or has she fallen so deep in love that she'll accept it? Perhaps it takes a new love to make you realise that what you had wasn't real...
1. Not the man I love

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

Hi! So this is a little taster of Be My saviour, it's really short I know, but I'll see what the response is before I continue. Please leave a review and let me know what you guys think!!

I'm absolutely begging you to listen to the song 'Save him'- by Justin Nozuka, it's so emotional and I think he's amazing and it's been really influential in the writing of this story!

Xx Lolly xX

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Melinda Gordon sighed as she looked at the clock on the wall of her store 'Same As It Never Was', it was already 6:00pm which meant that she would have to go home, her life had taken such a horrific turn-_how did I end up this way?-_ she thought sadly. Her boyfriend, Charlie, had been the best thing that ever happened to her, their life together had been perfect since they met on her 23rd birthday, when they had been together for just over a month Melinda had sat down with him and explained that she had a gift...the gift to see and speak to the dead. Charlie had seemed quite accepting at first but soon things began to change, he started drinking often, he would scream at Melinda for hours on end for the most innocent of mistakes. The first night they spent in Grandview, two months ago when they had been together for five months, she had been helping the family of a young girl who died, she had crossed the little girl over and stayed to comfort the mother, her kindness had caused her to be twenty minutes late for dinner which Charlie had cooked, she had walked through the door to find smashed plates and broken wine glasses littering their new home, she apologized over and over and told him she would clean up but he wouldn't listen, he was furious. That was the first time it happened...the first night he had hit her. Charlie had shocked both of them, they just stood in silence for what seemed like forever before Melinda turned to walk away and he quickly pulled her into his arms and cried as hard as she did. It had now become a more regular occurrence, sometimes a push, sometimes a hit, sometimes a kick...it always left a mark, and oftentimes Melinda was forced to wear long-sleeved sweaters with long trousers to cover up the marks. This had been going on for just less than two months now, she had considered leaving Charlie many times but he made sure that she knew no one else would want her, she knew he was right...she was a freak, but still, she knew it was getting worse, what he was doing was _**wrong**__,_ but on the good days he was so sweet and loving...perfect.

"_**He said he was sorry. He said he would never do it again. He lied."**_


	2. I can't be late

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**I was so stoked by the response I got right away that I figured there's no point waiting around to start posting this story! Thanks for your positivity guys x hope you enjoy!!!! Revieeeeew please xx**

"Night Delia, I'll see you in the morning" Melinda said with fake happiness as she hugged her goodbye, trying to avoid wincing from the pain of Delia's arms around her bruised ribs. "See you in the morning honey!" Delia yelled over her shoulder in her usual chipper tone as she walked out of the door. Melinda smiled after her and locked up the store before heading out to her car, just as she climbed into her seat her phone rang "Hey honey" she said nervously, "hey baby, you on your way home?" Charlie's smooth voice asked happily, Melinda smiled "yeah, I just got in my car, I'll be home soon, I love you", Charlie made a kissing sound into the phone which made Melinda smile "I love you too baby girl" he said before hanging up. Melinda drove home as quickly as she could so as to make sure there was no chance of her being late, she pulled up to the house and felt a pang of fear twist in her stomach as she put her key in the lock of the front door.

Charlie had already gotten home from his shift at the firehouse, hard to believe that someone who spent their days literally walking through fire to save lives also spent their nights making someone else's life hell. "Honey, are you upstairs?" Melinda called, "what do you think?" came the harsh reply, Melinda immediately felt tears sting her hazel eyes but held them back and headed up the stairs "you took a while getting home" Charlie commented, Melinda gazed up at him nervously, his eyes were emerald green, his skin olive toned and his hair dark brown, he had a strong jaw line...he was beautiful, it was hard to imagine that such an angelic face could twist into such unimaginable hate. "I started driving as soon as I hung up, I didn't stop anywhere..." Melinda assured him nervously, "yeah, I believe you" he said sarcastically, Melinda felt her bottom lip quiver and she tried her hardest to stop it but couldn't "you look pathetic, you know that right?" he asked with a cruel chuckle, Melinda felt the hot tears roll over her cheek and wiped them away quickly "I asked you a question sweetheart" Charlie pressed while towering over her delicate frame "I'm sorry, yes" Melinda whispered.

"That's better, now, shall we order a pizza?" he asked cheerily, Melinda knew by now to adapt quickly to his mood so she smiled nervously "sure, I'll go change" she said before heading into their bedroom and changing into a pair of boxer shorts and a white tank top, she jogged down the stairs and smiled at Charlie who was laying on the couch, "did you have a nice day?" she asked politely as she lay down beside him "it was pretty boring, not that I'm complaining. We started training a new guy, Frances, he seems pretty cool" he told her, Melinda smiled "sounds good, the store was pretty slow today, but Delia and I had fun anyways" she said with a smile.

"Come here" Charlie whispered pulling Melinda on top of him and up so that her face was at the same level as his, "I love you" he told her sweetly, Melinda smiled "I love you too honey" she replied before kissing him softly, Charlie wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and she gasped when the angry bruise on her ribs, from the weekend before when he pushed her into the kitchen counter, was pressed against his chest, "what's the matter?" he asked her curiously, Melinda sat up and pointed to her bruise "just got pressed is all, don't worry" she said with a small smile, anger flashed over Charlie's perfect features and Melinda climbed off of his lap and stood up nervously "I'm..I'm sorry, I wasn't complaining...I just..I" she stuttered, Charlie stood up and roughly pulled Melinda to him by the waist, he pulled up her tank top up and leaned down to examine the bruise, he softly ran his fingers over her perfectly toned stomach until they rested on her ribs. Melinda shuddered slightly and he looked up at her "it's still sore?" he asked worriedly, Melinda gave a small nod, Charlie pressed his thumb into the bruise as hard as he could causing Melinda to cry out in pain, "next time...I don't wanna hear it, okay?" he asked through gritted teeth as his thumb stayed firmly against Melinda's soft skin "I'm...ss..sorry" Melinda whimpered between sobs.

Charlie removed his thumb and pushed Melinda away with one swipe of his muscular arm, she fell to the floor and hit her cheek hard on the corner of their glass coffee table, luckily it was rounded and so didn't cut her skin but she knew it would leave a mark, Charlie's eyes widened and he covered his mouth in shock as she rolled herself onto her back and cradled her face in her hand "oh God, I'm so sorry, Melinda I didn't mean for that to happen, you know that, right?" Charlie asked in a panic as he lifted Melinda from the floor and pulled her into his arms, Melinda nodded and couldn't help the tears that flowed with the pain "I know" she sobbed, Charlie lay her on the couch and sat by her side, he kissed her over and over as if it would take the pain away, and eventually Melinda's tears subsided and she curled up on Charlie's lap. Twenty minutes later the pizza was delivered and they watched TV whilst eating, "you okay?" Charlie asked, Melinda nodded "Char, relax it wasn't your fault...it was just a stupid accident, it would never have happened if I wasn't so damn clumsy" she brushed it off easily, that's all it _had _been right?..an accident, he just meant to get her out of his way, how was he to know she would lose her balance? She shouldn't have been complaining about the bruise anyway, _that_ was her fault too, if she hadn't have been bothering Charlie in the kitchen then he never would have pushed her that day, he couldn't help it that she had no sense of spatial awareness, in all honesty _she_ should probably be apologizing to _him_, right? Melinda found herself drifting asleep by 10:00pm and let her tiredness claim her as she lay in Charlie's arms.

**Please review xx Lolly xx**


	3. It's nice to meet you

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**Thank you for the amazing response already!**

Melinda woke up the next morning and smiled when she realised that Charlie had carried her to bed, he had already left for work, she climbed out of bed and into the shower, the hot water soothed her sore body giving her some relief from the constant nagging of her bruises. Once she was finished she climbed out and brushed her teeth, as she swung the door of the cabinet above the sink she gasped, reflected in the mirror was a large bruise on her left cheek only an inch under her eye, the middle was a vibrant shade of purple and the edges were red and sore. She dropped her toothbrush in the sink and slid to the floor crying into her hands, her tears stung her cheeks and her hands shook-_how am I going to hide it this time? How will I explain it? What am I gonna do?-_.

Melinda eventually made her way to the bedroom and pulled on a short pink summer dress which was jersey fabric on the bust and then flared out in graphic print to her mid-thigh, she wore black leggings and gold gladiator sandals and on top of the dress she wore a long-line purple button-down sweater which covered all the bruises that were almost faded on her arms. Melinda sat at her dressing table and did her best to cover up the bruise on her cheek, she used blusher to make the other cheek a little more pink than usual and in the end it wasn't noticeable at all, she grabbed her purse and rushed out of the door without bothering about breakfast, she drove to the store and parked in front of it sighing when she remembered that Delia wasn't in today, she headed in and flipped the sign to 'open' behind her.

While Melinda was typing away on her laptop a few hours later the front bell rang to let her know that someone had entered, she looked up to see a tall and muscular man with perfectly tanned skin, his jaw was strong and chiselled, he had bright blue eyes and dark hair. "Let me know if you need anything" she said kindly, the man walked up to her and held his hand out to shake "I'm Jim Clancy" he said, Melinda smiled and shook it "Melinda Gordon" she replied quietly, "I just moved here, my uh...house is kinda empty. I was just walking by and I figured you might have some stuff that could help, like a mirror or picture frames...just little things that make a big difference" he said sounding hopeful, "what's the color scheme in your house?" she asked, Jim's eyebrows raised up and he chuckled, "color scheme?...there isn't one, at least not yet. I really don't know the first thing about interior design...I like red...and cream...does that help?" he asked, Melinda smiled "sure, have you picked out any paint samples yet?" she asked, he sucked in a breath through his teeth "no?" Melinda asked, Jim shook his head in embarrassment.

"Do you have to be anywhere anytime soon?" Melinda asked, Jim's eyebrows raised again in surprise "no, why?" he asked, Melinda smiled "would you like some help?" she asked kindly, Jim let out a sigh of relief "thank God! I was praying for a miracle, I have no idea what I'm doing!" he said honestly. Melinda giggled "I'll tell you what, there's a hardware store a couple of blocks down, go and pick up a couple of paint color cards that you like and then come back here, I'll help you pick out some stuff that'll work" she said sweetly, Jim raised his eyebrows "are you sure? You really don't mind?" he asked sounding surprised, Melinda shook her head "go, I'll be here" she confirmed, Jim smiled and gave her a small wave goodbye before rushing down the street. Melinda smiled and tried to gather her thoughts-_it's no use pretending you're that nice to everyone, you like him!-_ her conscience taunted her, Melinda rolled her eyes and went back to her laptop, a few people came in and out in the half an hour it took Jim to pick his colors, Melinda smiled as he came back in carrying a stack of color cards "someone's indecisive" she commented, Jim smiled and handed them to her, they were all different shades of red with some creams and ivory's.

Melinda quickly paired them all up, on set of reds with one set of creams, "I think that should do it" she mumbled to herself, Jim watched in awe as she shuffled around the cards until she was left with only one pair, "that's better" she said proudly, Jim smiled and studied the different shade of red "I like...this one" he said pointing to a warm roasted red, "good choice, what about the cream?" Melinda asked, Jim raised an eyebrow "they all look the same to me" he said honestly, Melinda laughed. "Okay...how about this one?" she asked pointing to a color called 'vanilla cream', Jim smiled "what the girl wants, the girl gets" he joked circling the color, Melinda smiled "what colour's your couch?" she asked, "cream leather" Jim replied, her eyes widened "I have the perfect cushions in the basement, would you help me?" she asked, Jim smiled and nodded, he followed her down into the basement which had been converted into storage and a small office, "they're up there" Melinda said pointing to a shelf on the wall which she was too short to reach, Jim chuckled when her hand could barely even reach the shelf below it "I got it" he said pulling it down with little effort, Melinda smiled and opened the box, there were warm red silk cushion covers in one half and cream ones in the other "perfect" she said happily.

"Do you like them?" Melinda asked hopefully, Jim smiled "like you said...perfect" he said happily, Jim carried the box following Melinda upstairs, she cleared the counter and Jim set the box down while she gathered up the pillows from a plastic storage box "how many do you think you want?" Melinda asked, "well I have a pretty long couch and two armchairs, like...12?" he asked, Melinda nodded "go for 13 so you can have one in the middle" she advised, Jim chuckled "you do this often?" he asked, Melinda smiled "only every other day" she joked "this is the first place people come looking when they get a new house around here. You said you wanted a mirror?" she asked, Jim nodded "I like the one in the window, with the wooden frame" he said pointing toward it, Melinda smiled widely "good taste, I have it in my bedroom" Melinda told him.

Jim smiled, "you want me to lift it?" he asked, Melinda gave him an apologetic look "would you mind? I wouldn't usually ask but my partner's off and I'm not exactly a body builder.." she joked gesturing to her delicate frame, Jim chuckled and easily lifted the heavy mirror from the display "do you guys deliver?" he asked, "well, we don't exactly have a truck, but I'd be happy to drop the stuff off for you, you don't have a car?" Melinda asked curiously while wrapping the mirror in protective bubble wrap using Jim's help to turn it over, "not yet, I'm going to pick it up in a couple of weeks, are you sure you don't mind?" he asked, Melinda smiled "I'm sure" she said with a smile.

With Delia Melinda had to hide the truth and keep her faux happiness up 24/7 because whenever she seemed upset Delia would ask a hundred and one uncomfortable questions, that's why she loved working at the store, she got to meet people like Jim, people who didn't know her or what she dealt with every day. It was the only time she was able to feel normal.

"Anything else?" Melinda asked, Jim bit his lip, "do you have any candles?" he asked, Melinda smiled "planning a romantic evening?" she asked feeling a pang of jealousy for whichever girl he was treating so nicely, Jim chuckled "sure, me and TiVo have a hot date tonight" he joked, Melinda laughed and shook her head "I find that hard to believe" she said with a kind smile, Jim raised an eyebrow and Melinda's eyes widened "I mean..not that I was thinking...I just...sorry" she said with burning cheeks. Jim chuckled "don't apologise, TiVo and I are very happy together" he said with a wide smile, Melinda smiled and shook her head "I have lots of candles, go ahead" she said pointing to a long shelf of candles, Jim picked some out and placed them on the table, Melinda cashed everything up on the register and Jim swiped his credit card, Melinda glanced at the clock on the wall, it was 12:00pm, she had to meet Charlie for lunch in ten minutes, she knew she would be late if she dropped Jim and his stuff home now, was it worth it? No. Would she still make the delivery? Yes. Anything that allowed her to be free from hell for even an extra five minutes was worth the imminent pain.


	4. Don't keep him waiting

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of it's characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended! **

"Where do you live?" Melinda asked Jim after they had loaded everything into her red jeep, Jim gave her the address and she typed it into her satellite navigation, as he climbed into her car and sat down Melinda's cell phone rang, she stared at the vibrating square as it spun in circles on her dashboard for a few seconds before picking up. "Hello?" she said somewhat nervously as she pulled out of her parking space, "where the hell are you Melinda? I'm waiting at the firehouse" came Charlie's angry whisper, Melinda bit back the lump that was forming in her throat "I'm uh.. I'm making a delivery, I'm sorry honey, I'll be back at the store in about fifteen minutes" she told him with fake calm in her voice so as not to arouse suspicion, "Melinda, if you know what's good for you then you'll turn that fucking car around and get your ass over here NOW" he demanded, "sweety, I'll swing by the firehouse on my way back" she said, "oh! I get it....you're not alone, who are you with huh? Your new boyfriend? Is he a freak like you? What is this...retards anonymous?" he asked cruelly, Melinda sighed and held her perfect smile on her face "love you too honey, see you soon" she said before hanging up.

"Husband?" Jim asked, Melinda's eyes widened "no, not married" she said showing him her bare ring finger "boyfriend" she said, Jim nodded "how long have you lived in Grandview?" he asked curiously, Melinda smiled "only two months, I moved here with my boyfriend Charlie, I started having work done on the store while I was still living in New Jersey, I would come up for a few days at a time to work things out, stock shelves and shop for antiques. By the time we moved in it only took me a week to officially open" she told him, Jim nodded "that's amazing, must have been a lot of hard work", Melinda threw him a smile "it was worth it, I'm doing what I love. Do you have any idea what kind of work you wanna do here?" she asked. "Actually I already have a job, I moved here for a medical internship, as of last week I'm officially a medical intern, I'm working in the ER at Mercy General" he told her, Melinda smiled "okay, you win" she joked "that's really wonderful" Melinda said kindly. "Thanks" Jim said with a shy smile, Melinda pulled into the driveway of what looked to be some kind of stately home, it wasn't mansion sized but still looked very expensive, she drove up alongside a perfectly manicured lawn then pulled up at the front door, "can you manage the mirror on your own?" she asked worriedly, Jim chuckled "I guess not...you wanna take it?" he joked, they both laughed and climbed out of the car, Jim lifted the large mirror and Melinda carried the three large bags full of the rest of his purchases, Jim rested the mirror down to open the door and let Melinda go in ahead of him, "go left" he told her as she stood uncertainly in the foyer. Melinda followed a long hallway until she came to the living room, all of the walls were white, the furniture was all covered in plastic sheeting and the floor in newspaper "drop em' anywhere" Jim said as he rested the mirror up against the wall.

Jim walked Melinda back outside and stopped at her car "thanks for everything" he said sweetly holding out his hand "my pleasure, please come by the store if you need anything, even if it has nothing to do with antiques" Melinda said with a smile as she shook his hand. "I'd love to extend the same courtesy but I hope I never have to see you in ER" Jim said with a chuckle "me too" Melinda replied with a little less joke in her tone than she had hoped, she knew that the possibility of her ending up in ER after standing Charlie up was higher than anyone could ever imagine. "Good luck with the decorating" Melinda called over her shoulder as she climbed back into her car, she pulled out of the driveway and felt the fear of reality creeping back, she knew she would be in serious trouble "shit shit shit shit" she muttered under breath, she reached back to the store in five minutes and walked over to the firehouse anxiously. "Hey honey!" Charlie called as he walked out from the back, Melinda smiled "hey, I'm so sorry I'm late, it's just that I-" "don't worry about it babe" he said cheerily, Melinda felt relief wash over her until she saw the fire in his eyes as he neared her "we'll talk about it later, I get off work in two hours, be home before me" he demanded in a hushed voice, Melinda nodded "I love you" she told him with tears in her eyes "you got a funny way of showing it" he snapped, he always managed to twist things so that Melinda was in the wrong, she would always be the one to apologize, always the one to be punished.

"I'll see you at home" Melinda said quietly, Charlie wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her "stop crying" he told her, Melinda nodded and gave him a weak smile before leaving. She headed back to the store and closed up, there was no way she would be able to play now, she drove home with tears streaming down her cheeks and ran straight into her bedroom when she arrived, "what do I do?" she cried, she sat on the end of the bed with her head in her hands and tried to think of what to do.

Melinda shook the images from her head and ran downstairs, she boiled pasta in a pot and poured spaghetti sauce into it, she stirred it for a while before turning the heat down and covering it over...dinner was done. Melinda sat down in front of the television but instead of watching the images on the screen she was watching replays of every argument her and Charlie had ever had.

The clock on the wall in front of Melinda ticked loudly as she sat with her knees to her chest on the couch. **Tick...**the sound of a car coming up the driveway caused the shivering to start, **Tock...**a car door slammed and the nail-biting began, **Tick...**a key turned in the front lock slowly and the door opened, **Tock...**the front door clicked shut, deafening in the fearful silence.

"Melinda?" Charlie called, "in the living room" she replied, his footsteps neared and Melinda's breathing became shaky, "we need to talk" Charlie said as he sat down beside her, Melinda gave a small nod, "who were you with when I spoke to you earlier?" he asked, "a customer from the store, his name was Jim Clancy, he bought the huge oak framed mirror in the window along with a bunch of other stuff and asked me if I could deliver it. I agreed and took him and his stuff home" Melinda said confidently.

Charlie nodded "where were you meant to be while you were out with _Jim_?" he snarled, "with you, at lunch" Melinda said quietly, "that's right, I'm glad you remember now. Listen to me Melinda, when I tell you to be somewhere...you listen, okay? I love you like no one else ever will, I love you even though I know you're a freak, even though I know what you can do. That should count for something, shouldn't it?" he asked while holding Melinda's hand, she pulled it away and stood up in front of him "I didn't do anything wrong" she said quietly, Charlie stood up and she gasped as he wrapped a hand around her slender neck "you've become a pain in my ass Melinda, why do you have to be such a little bitch?" he asked, Melinda whimpered as his fingernails dug into her soft skin, Charlie drew his hand back and slapped her hard with the back of it. "Please...please don't do this" Melinda sobbed as Charlie raised his hand again, this time he clenched a fist and Melinda screamed as he swung at her face as hard as he could, he had never hit her like this before "HELP!" she screamed as his fist flew at her again, "you still thinking about your little boyfriend now?" Charlie asked as he shook her_._ She couldn't believe it, he had punched her, _really_ punched her.


	5. Why do I love you?

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

_**Even this pain, this REAL pain, it can't make me love him any less, maybe I'm stupid, maybe I'm a fool for thinking that this is love, sometimes it doesn't feel like love...more like a puppet show. He pulls the strings and I nod obediently with a smile on my face, a smile that lets me escape from the scrutiny of others, dodge their questions and avoid answers. I know it's wrong, I just don't know how to be anything else but his. I don't want to be alone. Do you?**_

Melinda collapsed to the floor when Charlie released her, she wanted to wipe away the blood she could feel running from her nose but she knew for her own sake that it was best to stay still on the ground, she had quickly learned that Charlie found no pleasure in hurting her while she was down. Charlie had always been a controlling boyfriend, but Melinda had found it quite endearing how he would get possessive if another guy looked at her the wrong way or how he would sulk when she cancelled their plans, but when they moved to Grandview Charlie began taking things to the extreme, he had gone from buying her gifts and fine dining to standing over her as she pretended to be unconscious just to avoid his anger. "Melinda?" Charlie asked sounding tearful, this had also become usual, he would yell and shout and hit and then spend hours apologising and trying to make up for it, claiming that he didn't mean to take it so far. Melinda knew somewhere that this was wrong but had accepted his word as the gospel, he had her feeling isolated and dependent on him, she didn't know how to live without him anymore.

Melinda kept her eyes shut and stayed still "shit, Mel? Baby?" Charlie cried, he dug two fingers into the side of her neck and sighed with relief when he was able to gage a pulse, he scooped her into his arms and she tried her hardest to remain limp "Melinda, I'm sorry, please wake up baby girl" he begged, Melinda remained limp as he carried her up the stairs, he lay her down gently on the bed and stroked her burning cheeks, he left for the bathroom and Melinda knew he would come back with a cold wash-cloth, a minute later he had it against her face. She stirred as though she was just waking up and looked at him sleepily, "vicodin, please?" she asked as her face hummed with pain, Charlie nodded and headed for the door but turned back "Melinda, I love you" he said with a smile, Melinda returned it weakly "love you too" she replied quietly. Charlie returned a few minutes later with a gel ice pack, a bottle of vicodin and a glass of juice, "here, let me help you" he mumbled as he put the pills in his hand and tipped them into Melinda's mouth then held the glass up for her to drink, Melinda held the ice pack against her cheek and winced as it touched the stinging skin, "Melinda..I'm so sorry, please forgive me" Charlie sobbed as he held her hand, Melinda had hot tears of pain-physical and emotional- running down her cheeks, she had no choice but to agree and so nodded silently.

Charlie kissed Melinda's neck softly where a bruise in the shape of his fingers was forming, Melinda smiled nervously as he lifted her onto his lap and unbuttoned her sweater, he slid it off of her shoulders and she gasped in pain when she tried to shrug out of it, her shoulder had been hurt when she fell to the floor earlier, Charlie looked at her intently "are you okay?" he asked lovingly, so hard to believe that he was the same monster that had hurt her in the first place "I'm okay" she whispered, he pulled the sweater from behind her and slid the zip on the back of her dress down, Melinda shivered in pleasure as his fingers trailed down her back, she couldn't help it...she loved him. She kissed him softly in the curve of his neck while he pulled the thin straps of her dress down until they dropped, Melinda stood up and let her dress fall down before pulling her leggings off and laying on the bed, Charlie turned to face her and she studied the perfect lines of his face as he lowered himself on top of her, he kissed her softly and although her body ached because of her injuries, it ached more with need for him...she would love him like she wished he loved her.

* * *

Sometime later Melinda lay in Charlie's arms as he absent-mindedly traced circles on her back, she sighed contentedly and kissed his chest "you wanna have dinner now?" she asked, Charlie smiled "you're too good to me" he said with a smile –_I know I am-_ Melinda thought sadly, she grabbed her robe from the closet door and pulled it on, Charlie did the same and followed her down to the kitchen where the pasta had been left covered over, Melinda reheated it while Charlie poured them each a glass of wine and took them into the living room, he ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the tousled cover from the couch and thought about what he had done to Melinda earlier, he quickly straightened it out and tried to push the sound of Melinda's scream from his mind. "It's ready honey" Melinda said as she walked in with his plate, he smiled up at her and kissed her as she set it on his lap, she went back into the kitchen to get her own then sat by his side, they ate in near silence as the TV played to itself, Charlie's mind was tormented by what he had done, what he was doing. He knew it was wrong, he honestly didn't want to hurt her but it was as though he had no control, as if his mind was overcome by a monster and his actions were not his own.

Melinda's heart was crying, she was so in love that she would allow herself to get hurt over and over, she hated herself....she loved the monster who was doing this to her but she hated herself, the victim...she had it backwards. Her heart wouldn't let him go though her mind was screaming 'RUN!' at every chance it got, she knew she couldn't leave him; it would destroy both of them. Once they had finished Melinda cleared, washed, and put away the plates, she returned to Charlie and was unsurprised to see tears in his emerald eyes "what's wrong?" she asked softly as she sat beside him, he turned to look her in the eye "what's wrong with me? I love you so much Melinda, how can you love somebody so much and yet still not know how..._how_ to love them?" he asked brokenly, Melinda gently pushed him back so that he was relaxed against the back of the couch then straddled his lap, "I don't know Char, but I know that I love you too, that's all that matters, we're in _love_. Every couple has their problems, this is ours" she comforted, Charlie shook his head "you don't understand Melinda, I have these feelings sometimes...I want to _hurt_ you" he said through gritted teeth, Melinda looked fearfully into his teary eyes "what do you mean?" she asked.

Charlie ran his hands through her hair and brought them to rest on her waist "I get so angry, it's like I'm not even there anymore, like I can't control myself" he explained, "maybe we shouldn't be together, maybe it's not healthy" she said quietly, Charlie flipped over so that he was laying on top of Melinda "no. I'm not letting go of you" he said, Melinda nodded and kissed him passionately as he slipped his hand under her gown, that was how their relationship worked, he made the rules and she followed...no questions asked.

_**Was it safe? No. Was it smart? No. Was I happy? No. Then...why? I can't even find the answer myself, so how can I expect anyone else to understand? It's not simple enough to just answer, maybe one day I'll know, maybe one day we all will.**_


	6. When everything hurts

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

_**Dedicated to Reagan, who hates waiting! **_

Xx Luvs ya! xX I see updates so I'm gonna go R&R x

The next morning Melinda woke with a groan of pain, her whole body ached intensely and she felt too stiff to move, slowly climbing out of bed she padded to the bathroom and gasped when she saw her reflection in the mirror, most of the left side of her face was purple, she had a dark ring around her eye, perfect compliments to the one from the day before, hand shape bruises on her neck and arms and a large bruise on her shoulder where she had fallen. There was no way this could pass for another 'I walked into a door' or 'I just tripped', she looked like she had been beaten up....she _had_ been beaten up.

_**But I can see past the bruises, I can feel as though they don't exist. He never meant to hurt me, I know that, it was my fault...it always is, why do I have to be so awful to him? How could I just expect to blow off a date with him and not hurt his feelings? It was so stupid of me, but I felt as though...you...I wanted to spend time with you, I don't know why but...when you walked through that door I knew you were different, you were perfect.**_

Melinda sighed and went back to the bedroom to get her phone "Delia?" she asked, "Hey Mel, it's Ned, I'll get my mom for you, she's just about to leave" he said, Delia's 15 year old son had become quite infatuated with Melinda and often turned into a blushing disaster around her, "thanks honey" she said, she could practically see the smile spread across the young boy's face at the use of the word 'honey', "Hey Mel" Delia said cheerfully, "hi, um listen, I really can't come in to work today, I'm not feeling good at all, feel free to take the day off" she said, Delia smiled on the other end "I'll take over for today, if you're not in again tomorrow I'll still have the day off, I could come hang out with you if you're up to it and I'll be fine honey, just take care of yourself" she said kindly, "thanks Delia" Melinda said quietly "bye" Delia replied before hanging up.

Melinda lowered herself carefully onto the bed and grabbed the bottle of vicodin from her small table and swallowed two of them with some water. She picked up her phone again and called Charlie's number "hey honey, are you okay?" he answered, "I can't go into work today, I look like hell and don't feel much better, will you be alright to have lunch on your own?" she asked, "of course honey, feel better" he said lightly as if he was not the reason that she was in such an awful state. Melinda hung up and curled up in the bed and cried into her pillow...everything hurt.

* * *

Melinda hadn't realised how long she'd been sleeping but before she knew it Charlie was laying beside her stroking her hair softly "are you feeling okay?" he asked, Melinda nodded "mmm-hmm" she mumbled tiredly, "you slept all day?" Charlie asked worriedly, Melinda glanced at the clock and nodded "I wasn't feeling good" she said, she sat up and pushed the covers off her body, Charlie gasped at the sight of the bruise that coloured her soft cheek, "Melinda, I'm sorry-" "it's okay" Melinda cut him off quickly. He let out a long sigh and cradled her face gently in his hands "I'll go make dinner" he said before kissing her softly, Melinda smiled "I'll go have a shower, Charlie..." she added as he walked towards the door, he turned back and she smiled at him "I love you" she said quietly, he smiled widely "I love you too baby" he replied before jogging down the stairs. Melinda smiled to herself, if she could keep him happy then hopefully he wouldn't be so easily angered, she wanted them to work it out, she wanted them to be together.

Melinda grabbed her towel and headed to the bathroom for a nice hot shower, the water soothed her sore body and relieved the pain, she washed her hair slowly and massaged her headache away. Once she was done Melinda dried off and dressed in a short midnight blue nightgown, she applied a light layer of powder to lighten the bruise a little and when she felt she looked presentable she headed down the stairs. "Feeling better baby?" Charlie asked, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind as he chopped vegetables "yup, what are you making? Can I help?" she asked, he smiled and handed her a knife "stir fry ...and sure, could you chop the peppers?" he asked pushing a cutting board over with different colored peppers on it, Melinda nodded and got to work, they chatted about his day at the firehouse while cooking and Melinda sighed internally, he had gone out to work with his friends while she had laid in bed dosed up on painkillers because he 'couldn't control his anger'.

Charlie served up their dinner and carried it in while Melinda carried in their drinks "I think I'll go to work tomorrow, Delia's not in and there's paperwork that needs to be done" she said as she sat down, Charlie nodded "what about your face?" he asked, Melinda smiled "welcome to the world of MAC makeup, it should be alright" she said, they ate quietly and Melinda washed up once they were finished. "I'm gonna take a shower" Charlie called as he ran up the stairs, Melinda glanced at the clock, it was 8:30pm, the phone rang and Melinda rushed to the living room "hello?", "hey honey it's Delia, how are you feeling?" came the soft and loving voice, Melinda smiled "a little better, I think I'll come in tomorrow, you don't have to worry about covering for me again" she said, "are you sure? I can go in if you want me to, I really don't mind" Delia replied kindly, "I'm sure, thanks though, I'll see you on Monday?" she asked, "bright and early, have a good weekend" Delia chirped, "you too, bye" she replied before hanging up.

Melinda headed upstairs and felt tears prickle in her eyes as she thought about not being with Charlie, not living there anymore, the beautiful new house held almost as many good memories as it did bad, Melinda lay on the bed and closed her eyes lightly, Charlie came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist "you ready to sleep?" he asked, Melinda shook her head with an impish grin and stood up to kiss him. "I'm not tired" she whispered, "hmmm...I wonder what we could do...?" Charlie said with mock thoughtfulness in his expression, Melinda giggled and pulled his towel to bring him closer, his hand slid up her leg to her waist and he pulled her against him tightly, "my girl" he mumbled against her neck as he kissed it roughly, Melinda nodded as her fingers wound into his hair, "say it Melinda" he whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her and lay her on the bed, Melinda nodded "yours" she whispered, he smiled against her neck and nodded "I'm yours, only yours, always" she moaned louder as he pulled her nightgown over her head and lay on top of her "mine" he replied.

* * *

An hour later Melinda was pulling on her nightgown again "g'night, love you" Melinda whispered, "you too baby" he whispered back, Melinda climbed under the covers and watched as Charlie dressed in boxer shorts and a tank top, he climbed into bed behind her and held her close to his body, Melinda once again felt her eyes well up with tears, she breathed in his clean scent and kissed his chest, she knew she would never be able to leave him, she was in love. Charlie trailed his fingers across the top of her back and she clamped her eyes shut at the thought of those same fingers wrapped around her delicate neck as they had been the day before.

_**But this is my life now, HE is my life, I can't imagine being without him, I don't want to be. In every relationship there are issues that, although hard to deal with, people work through because their love means more to them than anything else. I can't lose him over this, I won't.**_


	7. You called me Mel

I am absolutely horrified that it's almost been so long since I updated this, that is just NOT my style LOL but things have been pretty crazy around here and I've been having a hard time dealing with it so writing this has been a little too much of a task, you know? That sounds awful but I just wasn't in the right place for it, anyway, I'm back, I'm here, and I'm ready to work for ya!

I'd like to just take a moment to thank Reagan for being there for me x it's amazing to have someone to talk to sometimes, it's a great gift x

And to my internet brother LOL because he's been soooo amazing to me and I'm so grateful, you keep me smilin' x

So here's a new chapter, if you're a lil lost then read over the end of the last one to refresh your memory LOL that's what I had to do before continuing writing x Lolly x

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Sleeping next to him was hard, to have his arms wrapped around me as if he were protecting me, and to know that those same arms would cause me pain if I made a wrong move, they already had. I missed the days when there was nothing hard about love, it was something that I rejoiced in, that I missed when it was gone, that I craved and that I cherished. Then it became something different...it was dark, so dark. But it was still LOVE.

The next morning was Wednesday, Melinda woke and sighed when she found Charlie still asleep next to her, he would be working the night shift, she lifted his arm off of her and rolled out of bed groaning as she felt the pain return to her tired body and serious nausea stir through her stomach, this wasn't the first time..._morning sickness?_ She wondered. She showered quickly and dressed in a long-sleeved black roll-neck sweater and a pair of gray skinny jeans over some simple black stilettos, she used makeup to cover the bruises on her face and put on some thin but large gold hooped earrings. Once she was finished, Melinda left the bathroom contemplating the possibility of pregnancy and gasped when she was met by Charlie, "morning" she said breathlessly, Charlie eyed her suspiciously "something's wrong with you" he accused, Melinda's eyes widened –_how could he possibly know?-_ she thought with fear, "everything's fine honey, go back to sleep" she said softly, he placed his hands on either side of her pinning her against the bedroom wall, Melinda whimpered quietly as he glowered at her "don't tell me what to do" he growled, she nodded fearfully and he kissed her roughly then smiled "I'll be here when you get home, but I'm working tonight so I'll be gone by six" he said before climbing back into bed. Now trembling, Melinda hurried down the stairs and out the front door to her car, she drove to the store quickly and rushed inside.

* * *

"Melinda!" Delia squealed from behind her, she spun around and smiled "hey, what are you doing here?" she asked, Delia headed into the store after her as she held the door open and set a double coffee holder down on the counter, "well, I know you said you're fine but I figured I'd come and help out for the morning, no salary, just a friend" she said handing her a cup, Melinda touched her own chest and patted it appreciatively "that's so sweet of you" she breathed with tears in her eyes, "you're so easy to please" Delia said pulling her into a hug, Melinda winced slightly but didn't let it show. "I'll tell you what, how about full salary, half day, and we close up, go for lunch and have a girl's night?" Melinda asked, Delia's face lit up and she let out a squeak "that sounds perfect!" she agreed.

"You know what, I think that's actually just what I need" Melinda said as she took a sip of her latte, "okay, so 1pm?" Delia asked "12:45" Melinda compromised with a grin, Delia giggled "what a sweet job" she said with a sigh, "so how's Charlie doing?" she asked before taking a long sip of her latte. Melinda smiled "perfect, a little tired for the past couple of days, but he's got the whole day to sleep today because he's on the night shift" Melinda said easily. Delia smiled "it's so nice to see you two so happy, the only male company I seem to be able to hold onto is a 15 year old with a bad attitude and a severe lack of time for his doting mother" she joked, "hey, Ned's a good kid, he's just having a hard time at school right now" Melinda said softly. Delia gave her a lopsided grin and raised an eyebrow "you know something that I don't?" she asked, Melinda chuckled "not much, but he mentioned the other day that there was a _girl_" Melinda whispered exaggeratedly, Delia grimaced "please tell me I don't have to give him 'the talk'" she complained, Melinda shook her head "not necessary quite yet, I think he's having a hard time winning her attention, I told him to try to find some kind of common ground as a starting point, then see where it takes them" she said with a smile which Delia returned "thank you...you know, for letting him come to you with stuff like that, I just can't help him without seeming overprotective or nosy, it really helps him to have someone else to trust" she told Melinda sincerely. "Anytime, he's a great kid, I actually enjoy talking to him, and I know that you're not a member of the supernatural fan-club, but it means a lot to me that you don't stop Ned from being curious, he has a wonderful mind for my kind of mysteries" Melinda said thoughtfully.

"I think that's why he likes you so much, you're feeding his thoughts and curiosity where no one else can" Delia mused. Melinda sighed happily and nodded "can I ask you something?" she said softly, Delia's face became more serious and a little worried, "are you ok?" she asked, Melinda nodded "I think so, it's just...how did you feel when you found out you were pregnant, I mean were you happy? Or were you scared?", Delia looked a little surprised "uh...both I guess, I was delighted that I was going to me a mom, that we were going to be a family, but I was scared that I wouldn't be able to do it right, that I wouldn't be good enough" she paused and took in Melinda's nervous expression "what brought that on?" she asked. Melinda sighed "I woke up this morning, and I was just really nauseous, it's not the first time...I was wondering if maybe I could be pregnant" Melinda said before biting her lip "I guess I just don't feel ready, I know it wouldn't be a bad thing, I just...Charlie and I really aren't in that place right now" she said, "oh sweetie, c'mere" Delia soothed pulling Melinda into a hug, "we'll get a test at the pharmacy, okay?" she asked, Melinda nodded "I just don't think I can be a mom right now" she mumbled.

* * *

2 hours later, Delia was down in the basement doing inventory while Melinda cleaned the store, still panicking about how she would deal with it if she _was_ pregnant, Melinda jumped slightly when the tiny bell atop the door rang, "Jim Clancy...the medical intern" she said with a smile as Jim stepped inside with a huge smile, he looked surprised "I made an impression" he said with a proud nod which made her chuckle, "no, you made a good payday" she retorted quickly, "ouch!" he said with a laugh, "kidding! What can I do for you today?" she asked, "I was hoping you might have a rug, something pretty big and pretty warm" he said hopefully, Melinda smiled "check them out" she said nodding towards a pyramid of expertly rolled rugs, he smiled "thanks, you doing okay?" he asked as he crouched down to examine each rug, Melinda smiled "great thank you, how about you?", "all good, I guess I'm a little worn out but it's worth it" he said, "ah yes, how is life at Mercy General?" she asked with an admiring glance, "I've seen so many horrible things, but it's amazing to watch people walk back in healthy and strong and to know you had something to do with that..." he trailed off with a smile which Melinda returned. "It's wonderful that you wanna help people, doctors keep the world turning, right?" she said with a smile, Jim threw her a grin over his shoulder "right...and beautiful antique dealers keep the doctors smiling", Melinda blushed crimson and he chuckled "I'll take this one" he had chosen a huge deep red furry rug which matched the colours Melinda had already picked out perfectly.

"You not working today?" Melinda asked, "nope, I got a rental car, figured I'd get some work done around the house, I'm on call tomorrow though" he explained, Melinda smiled "nice to relax for a while, sometimes I wish I could just close the store and go into the city.." she trailed off wistfully and he smiled "why don't you?" he inquired, Melinda gave him a small smile "it's no fun alone, Charlie...uh, it's not his kinda thing" she said, Jim nodded and took the rug over to the counter, "are you open until 6 tonight?" he asked, Melinda gave an apologetic smile "closing in like an hour, is there something you need?" she asked, he shook his head "it's fine, I was just hoping to go over some stuff I found in this catalogue, I mean I know you're not an interior designer, just that...if you don't mind, you're pretty damn good at it" he said shyly, Melinda smiled "you're on-call tomorrow right? But not at the hospital?" she asked, Jim nodded "yeah, I'm at home unless they call me in" he affirmed, she nodded "you wanna bring your catalogue here tomorrow? We can just go over the stuff quickly so if you get a call you can run off" she offered, Jim smiled "you're the best, thank you _so_ much" he said, Melinda handed him his change and smiled "see you tomorrow Jim", "bye Mel" he replied before heading back out to his rental car. "He just called Mel" she whispered to herself giddily "_Mel" _she repeated in her best imitation of Jim's voice, "God that's hot" Melinda mumbled.

_**So I knew I had feelings for you I guess, I knew that there was something different about you, something that made me want to drop everything and run after you, to follow you around like a puppy dog. I knew it was wrong, I knew it was unfaithful of me to even think about you that way, but in that moment, I didn't care, for just a second, there was me, and you, and nothing else mattered. I was happy. **_You_** made me happy.**_

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I do solemnly swear that I will update tomorrow x please review even though I've taken so long, let me know you're still here LOL x Lolly x


	8. Are you there Motherhood?

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

_**Thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter guys, I was really worried that you would have given up on this story since it took me so long to update, thanks for sticking with me xx Lolly xx**_

_**I wasn't ready to be a mother, I knew that I could never raise a baby with Charlie. Would it he hit her? Would he push her? Would he yell at her like he did with me? Maybe he would be happier if it was a little boy, he could play soccer with him and take him to baseball games. What about when we were fighting? How would I protect a baby when I couldn't even protect myself, would I lock the bedroom door so the child wouldn't see? Would I clamp my lips shut against a scream so they wouldn't hear? No, I knew I couldn't be a good mother, all I could do was pray that the test would be negative.**_

"Okay, I am 99.9% sure that this is the best job in the world" Delia said with a smile as she and Melinda rose from their table at Lento's where they had just finished a light lunch, "what's the other 0.1%?" Melinda inquired, Delia smirked "inventory" she said. Melinda chuckled and followed her out onto the street "pharmacy?" Delia asked gently, Melinda nodded with a nervous shiver which she covered with a small smile "I can't believe I'm doing this" she sighed, Delia gave her a comforting smile "you'll be okay Melinda, even if it's positive..you still have months to get ready" she said softly. Melinda nodded as she pushed the door to the pharmacy open.

They browsed the aisles until they found what they were looking for "which one?" Melinda asked confusedly, Delia picked up one that said 'Digital pregnancy Test' and another that said 'Home pregnancy test kit' "one of each, just to be sure" she explained. Melinda took them to the register and paid, as her trembling fingers brushed they boy's hand she was thrown into a vision

_-"Mommy? Mommy wake up! Please wake up!" her little boy screamed, his short ringlets quivered as he shook Melinda's arm "SHUT UP CARTER" a man yelled, his father, "JUST SHUT UP" his hand drew back above his head and didn't even hesitate before swinging back down, "daddy no! DADDY!"-_

Melinda shook the image from her head with tears in her eyes "are you okay ma'am?" the checkout boy asked, Delia turned around from where she had been looking at the pre-natal vitamins, "Melinda?" "yeah, I..I'm okay" she said shakily. "Let's go" Delia said taking the bag from the boy and heading to the door, Melinda nodded and followed with a last hesitant glance at the boy, as they stepped out onto into the cool afternoon she sighed "did you see something?" Delia asked resting a hand on Melinda's upper arm, she nodded "I think...I think his mom was murdered" she said quietly, Delia gave a sharp intake of breath "what did you see?" she asked, Melinda wiped the tears from her cheeks "I was on the floor, a little boy was trying to wake me up, he was screaming. His dad was yelling at him to shut up, the boy was only two or three years old, the dad, he raised his hand and the boy screamed.." Melinda trailed off with a deep breath. "Oh God, that's awful, that poor woman, and the little boy...well at least we know he was okay in the end" Delia said with a glance back to the store. Melinda straightened herself up and nodded "let's go" she said.

"Okay, I'm gonna head home and make sure Ned's okay, pick up some clothes and feed Bob, what time does Charlie leave?" Delia asked, Melinda smiled "6pm, but you can come whenever you want, I'll have dinner waiting when you get there, Chinese?" she asked, "I'll be there by 6.30 and Chinese is perfect" Delia chuckled "will you tell Charlie about the test?" she asked, Melinda shook her head "not yet, I will if it's positive, do you mind if I wait until you get there, moral support?" she asked nervously, "honey, don't ever hesitate to ask me things like that okay? I love you and I'm here for you, always" Delia said softly, she hugged Melinda gently and kissed her head "I'll see you tonight" she said. Melinda smiled "love you too!" she called as Delia walked to her car.

* * *

Half an hour later Melinda was walking through the front door "babe?" came Charlie's voice, Melinda smiled "I come bearing cheesecake" she replied with a smile setting it down on their little table which usually just held a set of keys and a flower in a vase, Charlie came down the stairs with a smile on his face, he grabbed Melinda around her waist and lifted her up to him quickly making her squeak in surprise.

"Good to see you too" she giggled, Charlie gave her a smirk and claimed her lips with his own, his tongue slipped easily into her mouth and while one hand held her to him tightly, the other fisted her hair "Char..." Melinda mumbled breathlessly against him, her mouth opened slightly and Charlie pushed the kiss further until he was completely taking her over. Melinda held onto his shoulders and let him lift her so her legs sat around his waist, he began carrying her towards the start but pulled back "cheesecake" she breathed, Charlie laughed before kissing her again and grabbing the cake from the table. "I love you" Charlie whispered as he carried Melinda up the stairs, she broke the kiss and tucked her head into the crook of his neck "love you too, always" she replied.

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Two hours later Melinda and Charlie were getting dressed after a shower to clean up the mess that they had a lot of fun making with the cheesecake. "You want me to make you a snack to take to work?" Melinda asked, Charlie grinned "the usual?" he asked hopefully, Melinda threw him a smile as she pulled on a satin nightgown over her thin blue tank top and dark skinny jeans "sure, I'll be 5 minutes" she told him before leaving. She chopped peppers and red onion and tomatoes and lay them on slices of wholemeal bread before cutting the huge sandwich in half and wrapping it in aluminium foil. She then placed it in a clear plastic lunch box with an apple and a Hershey's bar and poured a flask full of coffee. "Ok, keys, phone, bag...I'm ready" Charlie announced, Melinda smiled "be safe baby, okay?" she said softly, he smiled "always am, you and Delia have a good night ok, call me before you go to sleep" he said as he packed the lunch into his bag. The two of them shared a long kiss before he left, just as he walked out the phone rang "hello?" Melinda asked "s...sav..save Carter....save Carter!" a broken down voice rasped, she sat up straight "who are you? I can help you, you don't have to hide from me" Melinda whispered, "CARTER!" the voice yelled before there was a long beep that indicated the end of the call.

Melinda knew exactly who it was, the ghost of the checkout boy's mom, the woman who was murdered by her husband. "Hello, Melinda?" came a much more familiar voice through the phone "Delia. Hey" she chirped with false happiness, "I just wanted to tell you I'll be there in 5" delia said, they exchanged their goodbyes and hung up quickly.

_**So you see some days with Charlie were normal, perfect. It wasn't hard to forget what he had done, if only for a second or two, and we had moments together that I'll treasure for the rest of my life, he was my everything, my other half...my **_**better**_** half. And I loved him.**_

Please review :) xx Lolly xx


	9. Living inside of me

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

_**Thank you for the reviews guys, you're my motivation and inspiration x Lolly x**_

_**I was so nervous. I didn't want to do the test, I didn't want to find out the results. I thanked God that Delia would be with me, because I couldn't handle it alone, I needed her so badly, my new best friend. Times like those made me miss my best childhood friend, we had been inseparable our whole lives. There was an accident, a plane crash, I lost everything that day, the day **_**Andrea **_**died.**_

"Hey honey" Delia chirped as Melinda opened the door for her, the smell of fresh Chinese food hit her and she smiled "I see dinner's ready" she said happily, Melinda smiled "of course, we're having some of everything" she replied, "Melinda Gordon, are you trying to turn me into a whale?" she joked, Melinda faked shock "how did you figure me out?" she asked. The two of them chatted over dinner and Melinda sighed once she had cleared the last of the plates away "hey, relax okay" Delia said softly, Melinda nodded "I'm gonna go do it now" she said, Delia smiled "I'll come upstairs with you" she offered.

They went up to Melinda and Charlie's bedroom and Delia sat on the bed for the couple of minutes Melinda took in the bathroom, "okay, this should be done in two minutes" Melinda said setting the test down and turning her back on it "Melinda, if this happens, if you're pregnant, I just want you to remember that I'm here, I'll help you in every way that I can, I'll teach you everything I know and hold your hand when you need me. You're going to be okay sweetie" she said sincerely, Melinda had tears in her eyes as she nodded and laced her fingers with Delia's squeezing her hand lightly. "Ready?" Delia asked after a while, Melinda nodded with a shaky breath, she turned around and picked the test up from the table behind her "oh my God" she breathed, Delia took the test from her shaking hand gently and gasped. Melinda's face crumpled and tears began rolling down her cheeks, she reached up to bury her face in her hands but before she had the chance Delia grabbed her wrists, "Melinda" she whispered, she kissed Melinda's forehead and wrapped her arms around her. Glancing down at the test Melinda glared at the little blue cross on the small display...positive.

"Why is this such a bad thing Mel? You and Charlie, you're happy and strong together, you'll be okay" Delia said kindly, Melinda shook her head "I'm not ready, I'm not in the right place right now, and Charlie won't..." she trailed off and began sobbing, Delia rocked her slowly and whispered words of comfort. "CARTER, NO! PLEASE DON'T HURT CARTER! MY BABY" the scream broke through Melinda's haze of despair and jolted her into an alerted state "what's wrong?" Delia asked as she felt her jerk in her arms, Melinda scrubbed the tears from her cheeks and stood up "I can help you" she whimpered, "you can't even help yourself" came the bitter whisper before silence surrounded her painfully. Delia's hands guided her gently back down onto the bed and she hugged Melinda "sweetheart, calm down okay, everything's okay. Tomorrow morning we can go back to the pharmacy and try to get a surname from Carter, I'll use my realtor's licence to get into the database so you can try to find some information on them. In the meantime, you need to rest Mel, let's go watch a movie...I'll let you pick" she offered with a sweet smile. Melinda tightened her arms around Delia "I really don't know what I would do without you" she whispered.

The next morning Melinda woke up in her bed, glanced at the clock -10:00am- and smiled, she knew Delia would still be fast asleep n the guest room, she always slept late on Fridays. She jumped out of bed and padded over to her bathroom to take a shower, as she stood under the warm spray she laid a hand on her stomach and bit her lip "I'm not ready for this, I don't know how to be a mom, but I promise you...I'm gonna do everything I can to give you the best life you could ever have" she whispered to her baby. Once she stepped out Melinda only had to brush her teeth and brush her hair, she dressed in a short black skirt which hugged her hips perfectly and a white low cut shirt tucked into it with long beaded necklaces hanging from her neck and gold sparkly earrings, her hair hung in loose messy ringlets and her makeup was gold smoky eyes and soft lip-gloss. She made her bed and straightened up her room before heading downstairs to make breakfast, half an hour into her cooking Delia appeared, showered and dressed already, "morning sweetie" she said with a smile, "you're awake?" Melinda asked sceptically, she laughed "I slept well last night, what's for breakfast?" she asked with wide eyes as she looked at the spread Melinda had prepared. "It's kind of a 'thank you' breakfast, you're amazing to me Delia, I couldn't go through this without you" she said softly, Delia patted her heart with an appreciative smile and tucked into her food as did Melinda.

Once they were done, Melinda washed up then the two of them headed out to the pharmacy, as Melinda buckled her seatbelt her cell phone rang "hello?" she asked "hey honey, you didn't call last night, is everything okay?" Charlie asked, Melinda's heart thumped louder in her ears...she had forgotten "uh...kind of...I need to tell you something, I'll do it tonight, what time will you be home?" she asked, he paused in thought for a second "I should be home in a couple of hours, so I'll be there when you get back, is this big news?" he asked seriously, "pretty huge, but don't worry, it's not bad" she replied knowing how much he wanted to have a baby, be would be delighted. "Okay sweety, I'll make dinner, is pasta okay?" he asked kindly, she smiled "that's perfect Charlie, I love you, I'll see you tonight baby" she replied, "love you too Mel" he answered before hanging up. "You're gonna tell him tonight?" Delia asked, Melinda nodded "I'm nervous, but I know he wants kids, he's gonna be so happy"_..I hope..._ she added silently.

They pulled up to the pharmacy and climbed out of the car "are you just gonna come right out and tell him the truth?" Delia asked apprehensively, Melinda shook her head, "I'll tell him I knew his mom..see if he opens up at all" she replied distantly as she watched carter "you know, it woud really help if I had a name" she hinted, as the words left her lips a young woman appeared in front of the pharmacy "will you help him?" she asked, Melinda winced at the site of her bruised and bloodied skin "he's your son?" Melinda asked, the woman nodded "my name is Rosie, Carter...he's my little boy, my little angel" she said sadly glancing back at him, Melinda could see him through the glass resting on the countertop staring blankly down the aisles of medicine. "Uh...Should I...?" Delia trailed off uncertainly, Melinda shook her head "it's okay" she whispered, "Carter's dad...he did this to you?" she asked, Rosie's face became blank "don't talk about Jack" she growled before disappearing. Melinda sighed "okay, let's go" she said.

_**Why was she coming to me? Why her? A woman who was beaten to death by the man she loved, was this a cruel joke that the universe was playing on me? I knew I had to help her, to help Carter, but thinking of her...seeing her face all black and blue...that could be me. I was scared about telling Charlie I was pregnant, I knew he would be happy that we were having a baby, but what if he had changed his mind? What if he hated me for burdening him with a child he didn't want to look after? But I would tell him that night, I had to. **_

Jim will be in the next chapter...and VERY cute lol x Review please, love you guys xx Lolly xx


	10. In your arms

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**Thanks for the reviews guys, I'm giving you some Jim as a gift LOL x I hope you're all okay and happy x you only get today once, so grab everything it throws at ya and make it as amazing as you can. Peace x**

_**I didn't want to know what had happened to her, I didn't want to hear her scream, to watch her little boy cry as his daddy yelled, I wanted Rosie to leave me alone, but I would help her. Because I prayed to God that if it were me, If Charlie did take things so far that I lost my life and my baby's, I would hope that there would be someone to help me too. **_

"Carter?" Melinda asked as she approached the counter, he looked down at himself as if checking for a name-tag, then back at her and narrowed his eyes "do I know you?" he asked, Melinda smiled "My name's Melinda, I...went to school with your mom" she lied, his face hardened "she's _not _my mom, she's just my dad's latest conquest, Maria is **nothing** to do with me" he spat with venom, Melinda reached out and touched his hand gently "I'm not talking about Maria sweety, I'm talking about your mom, you _real_ mom...Rosie. I wasn't sure it was you at first, I haven't seen you since you were a little boy...I heard about what happened...I'm so sorry" she said softly, his face softened and Melinda caught a glimpse of a tear but he quickly set his jaw and nodded "that was a long time ago" he said, "I know, I moved away for a while...do you mind me asking...how did she die?" Melinda asked gently.

He looked her in the eye and disgust washed over his handsome features "she died in a car wreck" he lied smoothly, Melinda squeezed his hand "Carter, please tell me the truth...was it Jack?" she whispered, he stared sadly down at their hands "I don't wanna do this here. Can we talk tomorrow?" he asked quietly, Melinda smiled "of course honey, I own the antique store just across the square, you can come in anytime you like. Thank you...for letting me do this" Melinda said sweetly. Carter sighed "I like talking about her...makes me feel like she's still around. I'll see you tomorrow Melinda" he said with a small smile, she returned it warmly and headed out of the pharmacy where Delia was standing by her car "how'd it go?" she asked nervously, Melinda smiled "he's a sweet kid, he's gonna come over to the store tomorrow and talk" she informed her. Twenty minutes later, they had said their goodbyes and Melinda was headed into the store while Delia drove home.

As she crossed the square Melinda felt a cool chill brush her arm, she spun around and was met with a vibrant vision

_- she was walking through a house, her view shaking as if she were seeing through a hand held camera "CARTER!" she screamed, though it wasn't her voice...it was Rosie's. "BABY!" she cried. She turned hastily in time to see a fist flying towards her "NO!" she screamed, his clenched hand made contact swiftly with her jaw and she fell to the ground. Melinda opened her eyes and through her tears watched as Carter ran towards her from his bedroom "mommy?" he asked worriedly, "Jack...please don't do this...not in front of him, please don't let our baby see!" she cried "daddy, what's wrong with mommy?" Carter asked, Melinda looked up at him and tried to smile "nothing's wrong sweetheart...go back to bed" she said as calmly as she could, he hesitated in the doorway "GET OUT CARTER!" Jack's gruff voice boomed, Carter's face crumpled and his eyes filled with tears quickly, Melinda cradled her cheek and attempted to stand up to run to him, but as she reached out to lean against the wall Jack pushed her back "you leave him alone" he growled "Carter, BED!" he yelled. Carter ran from the room and disappeared from Melinda's view, Jack grabbed her left shoulder with his right hand "bitch" he growled before pushing her to the ground easily, her head hit the floor and she smiled as darkness crept into her senses...it would be over soon.-_

Melinda was released from the vision with such force that her own mind became just as blank as Rosie's had, she fell to the cold hard concrete and had no choice but to accept the darkness that enveloped her.

"Are you okay?" came a young girl's voice, breaking through the fog that had gripped Melinda's consciousness, she found herself unable to respond and just as she was about to panic a somewhat familiar voice reached her "oh my god! Melinda?!" came Jim's smooth tone fraught with panic, not waiting for a response he pressed two fingers to her neck and sighed with relief, she was scooped effortlessly into his arms and her head rested against his chest, fitting into the crook of his arm perfectly "she's okay, I'm a doctor...I can take care of her" she heard Jim say, the wind brushed past her as Jim walked forward, he gently pulled her keys from her hand and unlocked the store. Melinda's eyes fluttered open and she shivered "Jim?" he mumbled, "hey...I'm here" he said soothingly laying her down on an antique chaise and drawing the curtains, he ran out to his rental car and grabbed his emergency medical kit.

Melinda was trying to sit herself up just as he walked back in and Jim shook his head disapprovingly "lay down sweetie" he said, she groaned and let her head fall back to the pillow "my head hurts" she mumbled, Jim smiled "well...you probably knocked yourself out on that concrete" he said with a slightly amused chuckle "this isn't funny" Melinda grumbled, Jim knelt in front of her and tightened a blood pressure cuff around the top of her arm and began pumping it up. "Did you eat breakfast this morning?" he asked, Melinda nodded "I had a _huge_ breakfast", "has this happened before?"

Melinda sighed "on occasion, I guess", Jim looked her in the eye as the cuff deflated and he rested his palm on her forehead "any medical conditions I should know about?" he asked, Melinda bit her lip "I...I'm pregnant?" she said though it sounded more like a question, Jim's jaw dropped slack until he took a second to compose himself "how...uh....how far along?" he asked, Melinda shook her head "no idea...I only just took the test" she told him. "Well...your vitals are normal, blood pressure's normal, you should be fine" he told her confidently, his voice hinting sadness. Melinda smiled "thanks for all this Jim" she said softly, he took a band-aid from a small case and wiped her elbow before sticking it down over a graze. "It's what I do" Jim responded quietly his hand still resting on her arm, "so...you're having a baby?" he asked gently, Melinda hesitated before nodding "I...I found out last night, Charlie doesn't even know yet" she told him guiltily feeling bad that she had told Jim before him, Jim's brow furrowed and he took a deep breath before composing his face into a less troubled frown, Melinda's skin was tingling delicately where his hand sat, every inch of skin he was touching was on fire. "I'm such a klutz...I think I tripped" Melinda lied trying to distract herself from his touch, Jim nodded "well, you're pretty lucky, could have been a lot worse I guess, if you feel any sickness or headaches later on I want you to come straight down to the ER, okay?" he asked, Melinda nodded "promise".

"You have time for a coffee?" he asked, Melinda bit her lip "I shouldn't really leave the store" she said quietly, Jim stood up and headed for the door and she felt her heart sink at the thought that she had offended him "who said anything about leaving the store? What are you having?" he asked with a smile. Melinda sighed "you don't have to d-" "it's the least I can do, you've been great" he said genuinely, "skinny hot chocolate please" she said with a smile, he returned it before heading back out across the square. Melinda pressed a hand to the back of her head and groaned at the soreness, she sat up slowly and leaned back against the wall behind the Chaise lounge "he touched me" she whispered feeling a strange coldness creep in where his hand had been, Melinda's heart skipped a beat as she realised that she missed that touch...she had liked it.

_**So I liked you. Already. I knew it was ridiculous, we hardly knew each other...I was pregnant with another man's baby, you were studying for your med degree. It couldn't have been a worse time. There was something in your eyes when I said I was pregnant, was I wrong? Did I misunderstand? Because you...you seemed sad.**_

**Please review xx Lolly xx**


	11. I didn't get a chance to tell him

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

It only took a few minutes for Jim to be back with her hot chocolate and a cappuccino for himself "you feeling alright?" he asked as he sat down, Melinda nodded "thanks" she said quietly as he handed her the drink "you're hot" Jim blurted out, Melinda's eyebrows raised and her breath hitched, "uh...I...your cheeks.." Jim stuttered as he stared at her openly. His eyes travelled down her body all the way to her stilettos then back up to her eyes, Melinda looked down in embarrassment at his unwavering stare and he cleared his throat "sorry, I was just saying, you're cheeks are a little red...I think you might have a temperature" he clarified. Melinda nodded uncertainly .._he feels it too.._ she thought, he was attracted to her, just like she was to him.

"I uh...brought my catalogue...do you feel well enough to take a look?" Jim asked gently, Melinda smiled "sure" she replied, Jim shifted closer to her and began flipping through the pages of a home improvement catalogue. "So, I was thinking that this coffee table would b good for the first living room, the one you saw, maybe it could go on the rug?" he asked, Melinda nodded "the colour is perfect, what is it..beechwood?" she asked trying to ignore the sensuous smell of his cologne, Jim smiled "uh, sugarwood actually, close enough" he said. The coffee table was like a piece of modern art- a huge slab of uncut and roughly shaped sugar wood resting on two smaller blocks "it's really beautiful, I think it would be gorgeous with the red and cream" she said. Jim nodded "that's what I thought, then I was thinking..." he flipped a couple of pages ahead and pointed to a pair of rounded vases "...about maybe having these on top of it?" he asked, Melinda smiled "you know, for someone who claims to have no idea what he's doing, you make a pretty good amateur interior designer" she complimented "thanks...but I'm playing it safe...getting a professional opinion, make sure I'm...making the right choices" his eyes wavered for only a fraction of a second to her stomach and his voice came somewhat sombre, Melinda couldn't help but feel as though he wasn't talking about furniture anymore.

"I.." Melinda started but trailed off nervously, Jim lifted his head and looked into her eyes as she gazed back up at him from beneath her lashes "you have really beautiful eyes" he whispered, Melinda stood up and pressed a hand to her head "I think you should leave" she said softly, Jim shook his head "I'm really sorry Melinda, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable...I just..." Jim let out a sharp breath before rushing from the store, Melinda sighed as the bell tinkled behind him.

Sitting back down on the comfortable Chaise, Melinda buried her head in her hands and tried to calm herself down, her heartbeat was still erratic and racing at the memory of Jim's closeness and his words .._this is so wrong_.. she scolded herself angrily "why does he make me feel like this?" she groaned, Melinda headed over to the counter and sat on her stool bracing herself for a horrible day.

* * *

"CRAP!" Melinda yelled, she had just dropped three crystal glasses and sent shards of glass flying across the stores floor, the day had been awful. Everything that could go wrong _did._ She had lost her next huge consignment to a professional antique dealer, she hadn't had a single customer, she was feeling sick, her delivery had been mixed up with someone else's so she had ended up being delivered 20 memory foam mattresses instead of a dining set...and now this. Melinda reached down to pick up the largest pieces of glass, she had one between her fingers but as she stood up it slipped, she caught it quickly but as her hand clamped around it the sharp edge sliced the palm of her hand.

Melinda yelped in pain and dropped it as tears sprang to her eyes quickly, the huge cut began to pour blood over her fingers and Melinda ran it the stores bathroom to hold it under the cold tap "frick" she muttered under her breath, "ow ow ow ow ow ow" she breathed as she attempted to pull out a small piece of glass which had broken off and stayed in the cut, her stomach flipped as she pulled it out and even more blood began to pulse out over her fingers. "Mel?" came a husky voice from the front of the store "Charlie help" she whimpered, her hand was gushing terrifying amounts of blood and the running water seemed to be making no difference whatsoever. Without hesitation Charlie ran into the back room and through to the bathroom "jeez, what happened baby?" he asked, "dropped a glass" she told him as he pulled her hand from under the tap and lifted his t-shirt off leaving him in a tank top and gray jeans, "this is gonna hurt" he warned before tying it tightly around her hand, Melinda winced and sobbed quietly "are you okay?" he asked pulling her into his arms "I am now" she responded quietly, "hey don't cry, we'll go down to Mercy and get you fixed up okay?" Charlie comforted, Melinda nodded and rose to her tiptoes to kiss him gently "love you" she whispered, Charlie smiled widely and kissed her passionately, his fingers winding into her hair and his arms pressing her closer to his body "love you too" he replied.

"What made you come to the store?" Melinda asked as Charlie strapped her into his passenger seat "well I know Delia stayed over and dropped you into work today, figured I'd pick you up instead of you walking...I got home a little earlier than I expected" he replied. Melinda smiled "thanks honey" she said sweetly, her head leaned back against the rest and she closed her eyes against the searing pain in the palm of her hand.

It took all of 30 minutes to be sitting in the waiting room at Mercy General Emergency Room, "okay Melinda Gordon, come straight through to room 22" a young nurse instructed, Charlie stood up with Melinda and she smiled "it's okay honey, you can wait here if you want to" she offered, Charlie nodded "I'll be right here if you need me" he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and sat back in his uncomfortable metal seat. Melinda walked into the room and sat on the bed where the curtain was half drawn, a doctor came in wearing the standard powder blue scrubs, Melinda couldn't see his face but he seemed quite young, he picked up a clipboard from the desk and flipped over the first page, he hesitated before spinning around to face her... "Jim" Melinda breathed.

Xx please review guys xX


	12. I hope we're friends

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

_**Here you were, this amazing guy who I hardly knew...you just appeared in my life one day and made me start asking questions I shouldn't need answers to. I hardly knew you, but you made me feel more appreciated than I ever had, it was like when you were looking down into my eyes, you weren't seeing the lost soul I was quickly becoming, the battered woman I strived not to be or the frightened child I felt like...you were seeing me. The real me. But that scared me so much, you had the potential to tip the balance that I was fighting so hard to maintain, you could ruin everything, ruin me. So I asked you to leave. I regretted it as soon as the door shut behind you, and I dreaded the moment when I would have to face you again, that moment came too quickly.**_

"Melinda...hi, h...you-" Jim stumbled over his words nervously, "look...Jim I shouldn't have asked you to leave earlier, I know you weren't trying to...I just-" Melinda frowned at her jumbled communication. "You know what Melinda, I was out of line, I'm sorry. So, what did you do?" Jim asked worriedly as she slowly uncurled her fingers to show him the source of the blood that had now soaked through Charlie's t-shirt "dropped a glass, I tried to pick it up but it cut me pretty bad I guess" she said softly, Jim frowned "did you drive here?" he asked, Melinda shook her head "Charlie..." she trailed off. "I need to give you one little injection, okay?" he asked, Melinda's eyes widened "uh..is there any way you could _not?_ I really....I'm afraid of needles" she admitted quietly making Jim chuckle "don't laugh at me" she complained with mock annoyance, "palm up" he commanded, Melinda did as she was told but her eyes showed how terrified she was, tears began to well up and her bottom lip trembled "hey, it's okay Mel, look...hold onto me and count to ten" Jim told her. Melinda smiled "you must think I'm such a baby" she whispered, "I don't" he denied with a gentle smile, Melinda hesitated for a second before resting her hand on Jim's waist as he stood before her.

Her fingers tightened around his scrubs and she took a deep breath "one...two....three...four..." Jim quickly pushed the needle into the palm of Melinda's hand and emptied the solution "that will numb your hand and prevent infection...you did well Melinda" Jim complimented, Melinda's eyes opened slowly and she smiled "I...didn't feel anything" she said, "I'm that good" Jim joked. "Jim you did nothing wrong earlier, I'm so sorry I overreacted, I hope we're okay" Melinda said worriedly, Jim shook his head "I shouldn't have made you uncomfortable like that Melinda, I need to know my limits. We're fine..._friends..._I hope?" he said questioningly "we're friends" she confirmed. "Is it gonna need stitches?" Melinda asked with a grimace "I think I can use a sealing solution and some tape stitches...no needles" he told her, Melinda smiled "perfect".

Jim cleaned up, sealed and dressed Melinda's hand before wrapping it expertly with a white bandage "you're all fixed up" he declared, Melinda smiled and hopped off the bed "Jim...I meant what I said....I want us to be friends" Melinda told him with a smile "um, this may be a little forward of me, but the hospital is having this huge party for all the new interns, it's gonna be at some nightclub on 34th street tomorrow night, it would be really cool if you'd come, you can bring your boyfriend...it'd just be nice to know at least one non-hospital person there" he said softly. Melinda smiled "that's really sweet of you Jim, I uh..I'll ask Charlie, but he's working at the firehouse..." she stuttered nervously, she knew that Charlie would never want to see Jim, especially after he had made Melinda late the other night, perhaps she could ask Delia... "great...uh, call me by tomorrow afternoon and let me know, I'll pick you guys up" he offered, Melinda smiled "I'll call as soo-" she was cut off by the ringing of her cell phone, "go ahead" Jim said with a smile, Melinda returned it apologetically "hey honey, are you alright?" she asked, "I'm just going to bring the car round the front sweety, are you nearly done?" Charlie asked "yeah, I'll meet you outside honey" she replied. "So...I'll see you tomorrow" Jim said, "yeah...and thanks for this" Melinda replied waving her bandaged hand, Jim chuckled "you take care of that, it's my first open wound masterpiece" Jim said proudly with a chuckle.

Melinda gazed at him for a second lost in the velvety tones of his smooth voice, before smiling and heading out of the room with a smile playing about her lips "Hey honey" she said as she sat in the car, Charlie leaned over and kissed her gently "you're okay?" he asked, Melinda nodded and showed him her bandage "woah, it was pretty serious, you're gonna have to be super careful with that hand Melinda, no lifting boxes at the store, or cleaning or cooking...you sit back and let me do all that stuff for you" Charlie offered sweetly with a smile "you're so sweet, I'll take care of the hand" Melinda chuckled.

"So there was a customer today at the store who asked if we wanted to go over to a party at 'Superstar' tomorrow night, what do you think?" Melinda asked, Charlie sighed with a disappointed smile as he pulled out onto the road "I'm off tomorrow until 5, I have a double through Grave shift. I won't be back home until Sunday evening" he said apologetically. Melinda smiled "you mind if I go without you?" she asked nervously, "is Delia going?" he asked, "I could ask her to go with me I guess", "sure honey, have some fun alright, let's go have dinner, get a little _closer,_ sleep in tomorrow so I can see you before you go to work, I love you babe" he said sweetly, Mel smiled "love you too honey and thanks for doing this...coming to pick me up from work and everything, that was really thoughtful of you" she said with a smile.

Soon Charlie and Melinda were outside their house and he was holding the front door open for her "close your eyes baby" he instructed, Melinda did as she was told and squeaked happily when she was lifted into a strong pair of arms, Charlie carried her into the living room where a spread of Italian dinner was laid out on the low coffee table with huge cushions for them to sit on, "keep 'em closed" he whispered as he set Melinda down on the couch. Charlie rushed around the room lighting candles he had placed earlier then turned the lights down low, he took his coat and shirt off then knelt in front of Melinda, he stayed silent as he unbuttoned her jacket and slid it off her shoulders.

Melinda was dying to open her eyes but kept her composure and waited as Charlie pulled her stilettos off then undid the top few buttons on her shirt "you're perfect Melinda, you know that right?" he asked, Melinda smiled, he hadn't made her feel perfect in so long...in the beginning it was all the time, but as he became more and more angry she had begun to feel anything but perfect, she felt useless. To hear him say it curved her lips into a beautiful smile "open your eyes" he commanded gently. Melinda did as she was told and gasped "Char...wow...God, this is beautiful" she said with awe, "I want you to know how much you mean to me. Melinda, I'm done...I'm done being a bad person, a bad boyfriend, I swear I've changed. I need you to know, you mean the world to me Mel, and I don't want to hurt you anymore....it makes me sick to see you look at me with fear in your eyes...your beautiful eyes..." Charlie's olive skin glowed warmly in the candlelight and his green eyes sparkled as he leaned in and rested his forehead against hers "Charlie there's something I have to tell you" Melinda said nervously.

"Listen to me Melinda, you..." Charlie shook his head slowly as he tried to find the tight words, he reached up and held Melinda's face between his hands "you can tell me anything" he whispered, Melinda reached out and traced his lips with her thumb, Charlie lifted her off the couch and laid her down on the cushions carefully, he kissed his way from behind her ear to her chin and threw her a smile before taking over her lips with his own, he moved desperately, his tongue delving into her mouth and massaging hers making her moan quietly, "tell me" he whispered as he pulled away, Melinda took a deep breath and looked up at him from beneath her lashes "I'm pregnant".

Xx Please leave me a review y'all :) let me know what you thought, thanks so much for everything you#ve said about the last few chapters, I just want you to know how much I really appreciate it and I promise I will never take it for granted. It means so much to me xX


	13. Please God, let him be happy

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

_**Oh God, I had told him. This was it. I hoped he would be happy, delighted, maybe he would stop now. Maybe he wouldn't hurt me anymore if he knew I was carrying our baby. I just wanted to be safe, to keep my baby safe, I couldn't risk anything happening to it...So I begged God, please, just let him be happy.**_

"What..you...WHAT?!" Charlie yelled excitedly, his eyes lit up and a wide grin spread across his face "we're having a baby" Melinda told him happily, she mentally breathed a sigh of relief, he was happy and as long as he was happy, she was happy....almost. "Oh Mel...I'm gonna be a dad? Oh God, we're gonna be _parents?! _How long? I mean, do you know how far along you are?" he asked, Melinda shook her head "I only took the test yesterday, I'll have to make an appointment with an ObG".

Charlie kissed her over and over as her eyes filled with tears, his hands were still holding her cheeks, careful not to press the huge bruise he knew lay just beneath her makeup, "I love you Charlie" Melinda whispered reaching up to run her fingers through his soft hair "I love you too baby" he replied quietly against her neck. "Are you ready to eat?" Melinda asked, Charlie shot her a devilish grin "I think the food can be reheated later" he said as he began to unbutton the rest of her shirt.

* * *

"Mel...wake up" Charlie whispered, her eyelids fluttered open and she gave a delicate yawn, she sat up feeling queasy once again and gripped her stomach "are you okay?" he asked, she nodded unsurely and Charlie kissed her forehead making her flinch back nervously "are you getting sick?" he asked, Melinda shook her head "morning sickness, I think, I've had it for a couple of weeks now, I guess I better make an appointment as soon as I can" she worried, he nodded "want some tea?" he offered, "no thanks honey".

"Come here" Charlie commanded, he was being patient...but somewhere in his voice Melinda could hear sternness- a warning tone. On her knees Melinda crawled over to the edge of the bed and sat in front of him waiting patiently "you need to look after this baby Melinda, no drinking, smoking, you have to eat more too. I want you to make an appointment with an ObG today, let me know when they say you can go in, I'll come with you, any day is fine. Tonight I'm not gonna be home but I don't want you staying out late at that club, you need to be at home and in bed before you get too tired, no more skipping breakfast when you feel like it, you have to step up your responsibility Melinda, this is our baby and I don't want you to mess this up, okay honey?" he said questioningly. Melinda's mouth was slightly agape, how dare he? How dare he even _imply_ that she would mess up her pregnancy, he said he had changed, but Melinda could see straight through him, he was trying to control her every move still, and it was only a matter of time before she broke one of his new and probably unspoken rules. "Yeah Charlie" she replied quietly, "hey, put a smile on that face sweetheart, we're meant to be happy right now" Charlie mocked pinching her cheeks affectionately...Melinda was feeling anything _but_ affectionate, she was angry.

"I better get in the shower" Melinda mumbled moodily as her stomach churned "hey, I'll join you" Charlie whispered in her ear with a suggestive smirk, she winced slightly but smiled and nodded, something was wrong, she could feel it. This wasn't going to last at all, pretty soon she would be back on the floor begging him to stop, to _please stop_. Shaking the thought from her mind Melinda sighed and followed him into the bathroom with a scowl immovably etched into her features...she was in an utterly _foul_ mood.

"He makes you feel stupid, like you're gonna fail" a voice whispered in her ear, she turned to see Rosie's spirit glaring at Charlie as he undressed "I love him" Melinda whispered "I loved Jack" she replied brokenly, "you're meeting with Carter today?" she asked, Melinda nodded "please Melinda, don't upset him, he's a very fragile boy...he's seen too much" Rosie said quietly, "I promise". Melinda raked a hand through her hair in frustration as Rosie disappeared, seeing her made Melinda nervous, thinking that maybe she could end up in the same position, the same state, dead.

Having remained silent for most of their shower and obviously uninterested in Charlie's intentions, Melinda stepped out followed by a cloud of steam and wrapped herself up in her massive pink towel "earth to Melinda....are you okay?" Charlie asked worriedly, facing away from him she was free to frown at his words .._he doesn't care Melinda, he doesn't care about you at all, he hates you.._ "I'm fine" she sighed _..no you're not Melinda, you're afraid of him, how pathetic...you're afraid of your own boyfriend..._Melinda felt tears spring easily to her hazel eyes and pressed her lips together in an attempt to hold back the sobs which she knew were just waiting for an opportunity to escape.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Charlie asked as the two of them pulled their clothes on, Melinda was wearing a pair of gray skinny jeans with a low-cut purple v-neck sweater, her hair was up in a neat ponytail and she had taken extra care to make sure her bruises were covered. "Um...I can pick something up at Village Java before work" Melinda sighed, her stomach was rolling with nausea and she really didn't feel like eating anything, "Melinda" Charlie said in a warning tone "I said _I'm not hungry_" Melinda growled, as soon as the rude utterance passed her lips she regretted it, she knew she had made a huge mistake, she had answered him back, something he hated. Melinda's heart raced and her breath came short and sharp "what did you just say to me?" Charlie asked, Melinda swallowed wincing at the sudden dryness of her throat "Charlie I..oh God.." Melinda's stomach gave a final flip and she gagged quietly, "woah honey...it's okay" Charlie mumbled, he wrapped an arm easily around her waist and lifted her like a child to the bathroom, Melinda knelt on the floor and her cheeks flushed pink right before she leaned over the toilet bowl and brought up dinner from the night before "I'm sorry Charl..." Melinda's sentence was broken as she threw up again, "sssh Melinda, it's okay, I'm not mad...you're...not yourself right now" he concluded, Melinda nodded through her retching and waited until her stomach was completely empty.

"He'll hurt your baby" Rosie whispered sitting with her back resting against the bathtub, "leave me alone!" Melinda cried, Charlie looked taken aback "I'm just trying t-" "not you Charlie" she mumbled, he nodded in understanding "I can't leave you Melinda, I don't want you to end up like I did...it hurts me to see what he's doing to you, I can tell...you believe him, you believe what he says about you...that you're a freak, that no one else would love you, that you're not _worth_ loving. It's not true...I promise you Melinda, you're more than this" she disappeared once again and Melinda sobbed tiredly "maybe you should take the day off Mel, I don't want you to get more ill" Charlie suggested. Melinda flushed the toilet and stood up to brush her teeth, "no honey, I'll be fine..I'm sorry about before Charlie, I didn't mean to be rude I just...I don't feel great" she said as she finished, Charlie's hands rested on her waist from behind pressing her into the counter and looking into her eyes in the mirror above the sink "I'm not mad Melinda, it's okay" he whispered, Melinda leaned her head back against him.

"Love you" Charlie whispered, "I love you too baby" Melinda replied, his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her neck "have fun tonight, okay?" he said with a smile, Melinda returned it happily, tonight was Jim's intern party "I will" she replied turning in his arms "I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked "I'll be home around 8" he answered with a nod "I better go" Melinda sighed, Charlie smiled and wrapped his arms around her "bye" he whispered before kissing her passionately, her head swam happily and she suddenly felt awful for being rude to him, kissing him back just as hard Melinda wrapped her arms around his neck "wanna let me make you late for work?" he asked. Melinda giggled "I have a meeting for a consignment this morning so I better go" "bye little one" Charlie cooed tickling her stomach, Melinda laughed happily and threw him a smile over her shoulder as she walked out of the bathroom. As she strolled out of the house and sat in her car Melinda smiled "we're gonna be okay" she whispered with her hand on her stomach. A cold chill washed over her as she turned the key in the ignition, she gasped as Rosie appeared in the seat next to her, her face was even more bruised up than before and blood matted her blonde curls "no you're not Melinda, you're _not_ gonna be okay".

Please Review xx Love yall and hope you're all good xx


	14. I'll be here for you

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

_**Charlie's issue was control. I didn't know where it started or what had caused it, but he had this overwhelming need to be in control of every move the two of us made, even simple things like my doctor's appointments, things I could certainly handle by myself, he had to be the one to make the decisions. I loved him so much, and I had to wonder whether or not those feelings were truly reciprocated, surely if he really loved me he wouldn't be so cruel. **_

Melinda arrived to work a little early and was surprised to find Carter sitting on a bench outside "Hey, you're here early" she said, he smiled "morning...I just...I'm curious about you...how you knew about my dad and stuff" he said. Melinda unlocked the door and motioned for him to step inside "something happen to you?" Carter asked eyeing her hand, "my baby...he's always worrying about other people" Rosie said proudly appearing beside him "I'm a klutz" Melinda replied to Carter waving it off "listen to me Carter, I need to tell you something, try to keep an open mind okay?"

"I have to go..." Rosie said before leaving quickly, Melinda sighed quietly before speaking "I have a gift...when people die, their spirits don't always leave right away. Sometimes they have people they need to say goodbye to, things they need to fix before they can move on, I can see these people, I do whatever I can to help them with their unfinished business so that they can cross over into the light. I...I've seen your mother, that's how I really know her, we didn't go to school together" Melinda admitted. "You see ghosts" Carter stated, he took a deep breath "is she here now?" "Mom?" Carter asked quietly, "yes, she's been coming to me, she wanted me to find you to help you somehow...She died before her time, and in a tragic way...her spirit can't move on until we bring her some peace, I need to find out whatever she needs so that she can move on".

"But...if you didn't even know her, why do you want to help her?" Carter questioned, Melinda smiled "it's what I do" she replied simply "do I have to pay you? I mean, are you like one of those TV psychics?" he asked, Melinda chuckled "the only payment I hope for is your mother's peace and your happiness, don't worry Carter, there's no catch...I'm just someone who wants to help, okay?" Carter nodded "I trust you" he replied quietly. "So, can you tell me a little bit about your mom and dad?" Melinda asked, he nodded "uh...they met in high school, my mom was a junior and sort of a nerd, he was a senior and a total jock, they didn't really talk much at first, my mom was kind of ignored by their crowd so she never had a chance to speak to him really. When they graduated, my dad asked her to dance at their party, and...well they started dating. My mom said he was really nice at first, like treated her well and stuff, she was only 19 when she got pregnant with me, it was kind of a shock but they were pretty psyched, after I was born my dad started to change. He would get angry for no reason, yell, walk out of the house, he would go for days without speaking to her, eventually he started to hurt her...I was just a kid so I didn't really know what was happening, one day he beat her up so bad that she...she just never woke up" he looked down and Melinda moved a little closer and took his hand "did he ever...did your father ever hurt you?" she asked, he shook his head " not that I remember, he was always a pretty stand-up guy with me, he still is...but I hate him, I really do and I have no choice but to stay there until I turn 18" "how old are you now?" Melinda asked "just turned 15" he replied.

"Rosie? It's okay to come here, I think Carter would love to talk to you" Melinda said softly, Carter watched as her face fell in disappointment "she doesn't want to talk to me" he concluded " no sweetie, she's scared and confused, spirits can lose their way easily, they get so caught up in their grief and confusion that they lose sight of what's really important to them, don't worry about it...she'll be here soon enough, I just need to figure out what it is she thinks you need help with" she said. Carter smiled "Melinda, uh...thanks for...well, even just for listening, it helps to talk. People always kinda avoid the subject, they don't want to upset me I guess, but this was...it was easier than I thought" he said, Melinda smiled kindly "I am here to listen to you whenever you need to talk, even after your mom crosses over, if you ever need somebody to just be there, you can call me or just come by the store, I'm here for you, okay?" she asked sweetly, Carter's blue eyes filled with tears and he set his jaw to avoid crying, he nodded "you...you remind me of her" he said quietly, "come here" Melinda opened her arms and hugged him tight "it's okay to cry" she whispered, Carter wrapped his arms around her waist and she felt a tear fall onto her shoulder, she knew he would be embarrassed unless she made him comfortable, it would be hard for him, being a teenage boy, to open up and share his emotions. But just like Rosie had said, Carter was fragile, he was holding onto a lot of pain without knowing how to let it go.

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An hour later Melinda was alone in the back of the store when the phone rang "good morning, Same as it Never Was, how can I help you today?" she chirped "hey Melinda, it's Jim...I was just wondering if you and Charlie were coming tonight?" he asked "he can't make it, but I'd love to come, what time is it?" she asked, Jim smiled "I'll pick you up at around 8pm, could I have your address?" he asked, Melinda gave it to him quickly and they hung up soon after.

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"Melinda?" Delia called as she walked into the store a while later, Melinda stood up from behind a set of figurines she was organising "hey, you okay?" she asked as she went over to give Delia a hug "I'm fine honey, you?" she replied, Melinda smiled "fine too" she said with a smile, "so did you tell Charlie about the baby? Oh my God what happened to you hand?!" she exclaimed, Melinda chuckled "yes I told Charlie, he's ecstatic and you just reminded me: I have to call in to my ObGyn today... and I'm just a complete idiot, dropped a few of our old glasses and me being me...decided to pick up the piece with my bare hands...not smart" she laughed. Delia shook her head incredulously "you really are a danger magnet, if it's not walking into a door or falling down the stairs it's crystal glasses!" she laughed, Melinda winced slightly but hid it with a laugh, she had never fallen down the stairs, or walked into a door. Those were just excuses she was forced to make when Charlie lost control of himself, she couldn't even count the number of times she had to skip work because she simply _couldn't_ go out of the house.

"So this customer asked if we wanted to go to an intern party tonight? It's at that new club over town by the mall...wanna join?" Melinda asked knowing what the answer would be already "Melinda, do I look like a clubber to you?" Delia asked with a smirk "oh don't you pretend, I know you were a wild child once, _Doobia_" she laughed, Delia slapped her arm playfully "hey! No holding that against me! I am an incredibly responsible adult, I'll have you know! And anyway, I have to keep an eye on Ned, I swear the kid is going out of his way to get on my nerves, his new 'buddies'...I'm telling you Melinda, they're bad kids, it's like Ned is _trying_ to bother me" she said with an exasperated sigh, Melinda smiled "have you talked to him?" she asked, Delia nodded "he won't listen", "want me to try?" Melinda asked.

"Would you? I mean, I know it's kind of a lot to ask, but I know how much he loves you...I think he's more likely to listen to it coming from you" she said, Melinda smiled "_oh_, he loves me now, does he?" she asked fanning her face like a flustered school girl, Delia laughed "hands off cougar, my kid's off limits...at least until he's 18. But seriously, he's smitten" she said with a shake of her head, Melinda smiled "well, I'll charm the answers out of him then" she joked.

_**Xx Hope you enjoyed it guys, let me know xX**_

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	15. Take me away from reality

At 7pm that night Melinda was just stepping out of the shower, standing in front of the mirror she examined her stomach for any signs of a bump, her clothes all still fit perfectly and her stomach was toned and flat but she thought maybe her hip bones were a little less prominent "are you making me fat _already?_ She asked in a typical 'baby' voice "yes you are!...yes you are" she cooed, Melinda frowned at herself in the mirror "I'm nuts" she mumbled before walking into the bedroom.  
Earlier on in the day she had made a call to her ObGyn and got an appointment for Monday morning, she was looking forward to finding out how far along she was and making sure that the baby was healthy. The clothes she had laid out on her bed were a black lace top with three quarter length sleeves and ribbon banded through the waist, it was partly see-through so she was wearing a black plunge bra underneath, she was also wearing a short black skirt with thin pleats and a pair of cherry red patent leather stilettos and a matching purse.

_**( pic of Melinda's outfit on profile if you'd like to see what she looked like for this date, if you don't want to, don't worry! x)**_

Wrapping a bath robe around herself she sat at her dresser and curled her dark hair into soft ringlets giving her fringe a gentle flick. Just as she finished her hair the phone rang "hello?" she asked, "Melinda? It's Mitch" came a smooth deep voice, Melinda felt tears immediately spring to her eyes, Mitch was Andrea's older brother, she hadn't seen him since the funeral after Andrea died 3 months before, the pain was still so fresh in Melinda's mind "hey..how are you?" she asked, he sighed "I'm okay actually, I just...I couldn't stop thinking about you today, I wanted to see how you're doing?" he asked, Melinda smiled "that's really sweet of you Mitch, I'm doing okay...I guess I try my hardest not to think about it, I feel like if I let even a little bit of the pain through...I would just fall apart, thank you for thinking of me" she said sincerely, "no problem, you're family Melinda, Drea spent more of her adult life with you than she did with anyone here, she really _really_ loved you" he said softly, "and I loved her" Melinda whispered.

"Would you like to come up here sometime? I don't mean right now because I know you would have to fix things up with the store and everything, but maybe next month sometime...the beach here is beautiful and the house is more than big enough. I'd like to see you Melinda, to talk about her, to just _talk_" Melinda smiled "I would love that _so_ much, thank you" "you know I feel better, I was worried about you, how's Charlie doing by the way? He taking good care of you?" Mitch asked, Melinda hesitated caught off-guard "oh, yeah Charlie's great, he's doing really well, he's working at the firehouse full time now, long hours but he loves it there, and yeah he's taking care of me" she added with a nervous laugh, "alright Melinda, well say hi to him for me okay? And I'll see you soon?" he asked, "you will _definitely_ see me soon, I can't resist that gorgeous beach for long" she replied, "okay take care of yourself sweetie" he told her, "you too Mitch" she replied lightly before hanging up.

Melinda's eyes drifted to the picture next to her hand on the dressing table, she was sitting on Andrea's lap laughing breathlessly with her eyes squeezed shut as Andrea tickled her relentlessly, her cheeks were blushed bright pink as she squealed in delight, Andrea's rich brown skin was glowing in the sunset light and her eyes sparkled happily, they were sitting on a deck chair on the sand outside of her families beach-house, Melinda could just about make out Andrea's mother and father standing behind a huge double barbeque grill, and the bottom-right corner of the shot was covered by a blur of Mitch's finger, they had been down there for Andrea's 22nd birthday "I love you" Melinda whispered quietly.

She tore her eyes away from the picture frame and went back to applying her makeup, once she was done Melinda pulled her clothes on and ran downstairs just in time to hear the bell ring, she grabbed her clutch purse and opened the door "hey" she said quietly, he took her hand and quickly pressed a kiss to her cheek "Melinda, you look beautiful...ready to leave?" Jim asked, he was wearing a pair of dark jeans with smart black shoes and a midnight blue shirt with the first couple of buttons open and the sleeves bound by smart dice cuff-links. "Thank you...yeah, I'm ready" Melinda said, glad as she was to see him, her mind was troubled, she couldn't stop thinking about Andrea, that picture haunted her, the image of their happiness, such a short while ago. She couldn't get it out of her head.

"Are you okay?" Jim asked as he held his passenger door open for her "I'm fine thanks" Melinda replied with a fake smile that seemed to satisfy him well enough, she took a deep breath as Jim shut her door and walked around to his side "pull yourself together" she whispered, Jim sat down and buckled up "so how many interns are there exactly?" Melinda asked with a more genuine smile. Jim took a deep breath and looked up in concentration "uh...I think there are 24, there _were_ 25 but a girl quit a couple of days ago" he explained, Melinda nodded "so it's gonna be a pretty good crowd, should be fun" she said with a smirk, Jim returned it and pulled out onto the road, Melinda took a deep breath, glancing over at Jim she felt at peace, she could put her troubles to the back of her mind, at least for now.

Melinda looked out at the dark road as they drove, Jim turned on the radio and Red by Daniel Merriweather was playing "oh my God, I love this song!" Melinda squeaked quietly, Jim turned to give her a wide grin before turning it up slightly and singing loudly to it, Melinda laughed at his voice when it slipped off tune and Jim glared at her "I challenge you to do better" he growled with fake menace, Melinda raised an eyebrow and began singing just as loud as he had except her voice was perfectly in tune and she even slipped in a short harmony over the last line of the chorus, "show off" Jim grumbled making her giggle. "Any other hidden talents I should know about?" Jim asked, Melinda paused to think for a second "I like drawing" she replied quietly, Jim smiled serenely "me too" he whispered.

"Are we here already?" Melinda asked in surprise as they pulled up in front of the club, Jim climbed out of the car as valet held the door open for Melinda, she climbed out and Jim took her hand "we're here, Mel...thanks for doing this...for coming with me, it means a lot" Jim said softly, Melinda squeezed his hand "anytime" she replied. _Anytime_.


	16. I could have danced all night

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**Guys, thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter xx Sorry I realise it didn't have a title/disclaimer/Melinda's thoughts etc and some of the formatting was a lil off- no ruler line things. I was actually unable to post it myself so I had someone do it for me but I forgot to warn him about the chapter name and stuff so my bad! Sorry! =)**

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Maybe it was wrong of me, but I hoped that night would never end, I hardly knew you and yet I felt safe, I dreaded saying goodbye, going home, ...I was afraid. Charlie said he had changed, but there were moments where he slipped, where I could see his temper flare, where he looked ready to pounce. I knew his new 'loving' facade wouldn't last long, he was trying to act like his old self, how we were in the beginning, but it wasn't the same...it never could be. Our love was tainted.

"Are you SERIOUS?! You actually jumped?! Oh my god, I would never _ever_ be brave enough to do that" Melinda commented, the night was going perfectly, she and Jim had talked non-stop only taking tiny breaks to get something to drink, "I bet you'd love it, I mean seriously, I was just like you, there's _no way_ I would have thought I could ever do it...now, I can't wait until I get the opportunity to do it again, cliff diving is awesome" Jim told her.

They were sitting back on plush massive cushions that formed a corner couch in a deep purple which, Jim couldn't help but notice, complimented Melinda's cherry red shoes and purse, she looked perfect laying back propped up on her elbows, Jim was sitting up against the back of the couch with his legs stretched out in front of him "JIMBO!" a drunk young man yelled, "hey Jackson" he replied with a shake of his head "you're wasted already?" he asked incredulously, Jackson chuckled "free drinks dude!" he yelled "hey Jim...what's your girl's name?" he asked with a suggestive smirk as he wobbled on his feet "she..well , no.. she's not-""I'm Melinda" Melinda cut off his nervous stammer, he smiled and she returned it, Jackson held his hand up to cover his face on Melinda's side and leaned closer to Jim, "Melinda's _hot" _he slurred in what was an attempt at a whisper, Jim raised an eyebrow as Jackson stumbled but caught himself on the wall "she can hear you" he replied, Jackson covered his mouth "uh oh!" he yelled with wide eyes, Melinda laughed "it's nice to meet you Jackson" she told him. "That was....that was a beautiful moment" Jackson said fanning his face as if he was going to cry, he straightened up and gave a half bow "it's nice to meet you m'lady" he crooned in British accent."Well....I need a drink" he drawled turning sloppily to the bar, with that he rushed off to the bar stumbling a few times along the way.

"Sorry about that, you wouldn't think someone like him would be able to string a sentence together let alone work in a hospital, but he's surprisingly smart...in a quirky kinda way" "Jim...thanks for inviting me here, it's nice to do something different, I've been so...well it's been hard lately and...it's nice to be here....with you" Melinda said softly "things have been hard?" he questioned "just...well it doesn't even matter, point is, I'm glad I'm here" Melinda said.

Jim smiled "well I'm glad you're here too, the interns aren't the most interesting people in the world, I would have hated to be stuck trying to squeeze some kind of a conversation from them, much rather talk to you" he said taking a sip of his drink, Melinda had opted for an orange juice-lemonade mix since alcohol was obviously off-limits now. "Did you grow up around here?" Jim asked, Melinda smiled "no actually, I was born in San Francisco, when I was a teenager my family moved to new Jersey, my mom still lives there. What about you, have you always lived in New York?" Melinda asked, Jim nodded "city boy" he said patting his chest "lived on the upper-west side my entire life, then moved to just outside of here a few years ago, and eventually found this house in Grandview, I just couldn't stay away, it's a nice little town" he said with a fond smile, Melinda nodded "everything you need on that little square, and the city's not too far away for the hardcore shopping" she laughed.

"I love it out there, just being there makes me feel better, especially in the winter, god, New York sky line covered in snow...it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" she said passionately, Jim smiled "why don't you go there more often?" he asked, Melinda sighed "Charlie hates it out there with a vengeance, small town kinda guy, prefers little neighbourhoods and I guess Grandview's perfect for him" she said, "but...you're not happy here?" Jim pressed, Melinda wet her lips subconsciously "I like it here...it just...it never really felt like home, you know?" Jim nodded "I understand".

"What about your family, where are they now?" Melinda asked, Jim took a deep breath, "Uh, my mom lives in Portland, Oregon, I know it's pretty far, but she left...after my dad passed, I guess she wanted to get as far away from here as she could" Jim said with a sigh "were you and your dad close...if you don't mind me asking?" Melinda said softly, Jim smiled "I don't mind...uh, yeah, we were pretty close, he was always planning something for us to do, him, me and...my brother Dan, he also passed away, when we were in college. So yeah we were pretty close, he was a great guy" Jim said with a reflective smile, Melinda "I'm sorry about him and your brother, must have been really hard" Melinda said softly, her voice was barely audible over the pounding music, Jim smiled "my mom and I helped each other through it. So, is your dad still around?" he asked, "not since I was ten" she said quietly, "oh Mel..I'm sorry, I shouldn't ha-" "it's okay Jim" she gave him a comforting smile "he left when I was 7 years old, from then on he was a 'sometimes' dad, you know? I didn't really understand what was going on, as far as I knew he and my mom were still together and he was just working more. Obviously I got the message when I never saw him again, but I'm okay with it, I had it pretty good" she said with a smile.

Jim nodded "how did you and Charlie meet?" he questioned curiously, Melinda felt a sharp pain stab at her heart, she had been with Andrea when she met him, "I was out for my birthday with some friends, Charlie overheard a strange conversation and I ended up spending most of the night talking to him" she sighed quietly. "Hey, are you okay?" Jim asked sensing the change in her demeanour "sorry, I'm fine" Melinda said feeling bad for worrying him "don't apologise...dance?" he questioned, Melinda's face lit up and she gave him a huge grin as she jumped off the couch and grabbed his hand pulling him up "dance" she confirmed before leading him out onto the floor.

The fast beat pounded through the whole club, through the floors and walls, almost as if the rhythm was travelling in the air, Melinda's hips swayed and her hands lifted up, one fisting her hair and the other above her head, Jim smiled as he eyes fell closed and she let the music take her over. "You can dance" he complimented, Melinda smiled but didn't open her eyes or speak, Jim watched her for a while barely moving himself, his eyes transfixed on her body as it moved before him, he swallowed heavily and tried to push his automatic responses to the back of his mind .._she's got a boyfriend and she's pregnant with his baby.. _he reminded himself.

Jim could feel the alcohol he had consumed making its way through his body and lowering his inhibitions, he was finding it harder and harder to remain in complete control of every impulse and desire. Unable to stop himself as he followed the hypnotic movements of her slender hips, Jim's hands reached out of their own accord and grabbed her waist, Melinda's movement faltered and she opened her eyes looking up at him nervously, he smiled down at her and she returned it ..._just dance.._ she told herself.

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Hope you liked it although I know it wasn't the most interesting of chapters x please let me know what you thought x


	17. To wake with you there

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**Thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter! Special thank you to Lionheartedgirll aka Reagan =) thank you so much for reviewing and chatting and just being generally awesome lol x you rock xx Lolly xx**

"I don't think you should drive Jim, you're...well you've been drinking" Melinda said, Jim was pulling her through the crowd towards the club exit "you're right, no driving" Jim agreed with a slur, as they reached the door he turned to Melinda and kissed her forehead, she jumped in surprise and he chuckled "you make an interesting drunk" Melinda said with a raised eyebrow "and you make an interesting sober" he shot back with a wide grin. "So, do you wanna share a taxi? We're headed in the same direction" Melinda suggested, Jim shook his head "my house is like a 5 minute walk from here, besides, I could use the fresh air to help me sober up" he laughed, Melinda nodded with a smile "I know it's late and I'm sure you just wanna get home, but would you mind waiting with me for like 10 minutes while I wait for a cab?" she asked pulling out her phone and searching for a company number, Jim snatched the phone from her and shoved it in his pocket, Melinda looked up at him with slightly wide eyes and he smiled holding out his hand for her "Melinda, it's 2 in the morning on a Saturday...well, Sunday now I guess, there's no way in hell I'm letting you get in a taxi cab by yourself. Look, just come with me, back to my place, you can stay in one of the guest rooms, the decorating is not anywhere near finished, but it's good enough or now. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't get you home safe? Come on, I'll drive you home in the morning" he insisted. Melinda nodded nervously before slipping her hand into his, "Jim, this is really sweet of you" Melinda thanked with a smile.

The cold night air swirled around them as they began walking causing Melinda to shiver and her teeth to chatter delicately, "God, that's so rude of me, I'm so sorry I wasn't thinking..." Jim chastised himself letting go of Melinda's hand then shrugging out of his jacket and to hold it out for her "you'll freeze!" she exclaimed "better me than you" he replied, Melinda slipped her arms into it laughing when her hands didn't reach the ends of the sleeves, Jim zipped it up and laughed "well, you wear it better than I do" he complimented, Melinda blushed "thanks for this" she mumbled, her voice was quiet with embarrassment over her obviously flushed cheeks. "Come on, let's power walk" Jim suggested, Melinda smiled as he took her hand again and led her in the direction of his house.

It only took five minutes for them to be walking through the front foyer, Melinda inhaled deeply as the faint smell of drying paint reached her "thanks so much for letting me stay here" she said with a smile, Jim rubbed the back of her hand "you're welcome here anytime Melinda, let's get to bed" he said with a yawn, contagious as they are, Melinda yawned too and Jim laughed quietly. She followed him up the staircase and down the hallway into his bedroom, he opened his linen closet and looked around "sorry about this, I haven't really bothered to dress the beds in the other rooms" he said guiltily, Melinda instantly felt like a nuisance for making him go through the trouble "Jim, I can sleep downstairs, you don't have to dress up the spare bedroom..." she bit her lip and Jim shook his head "it's no trouble" he countered, Melinda glanced around his massive bedroom "how about I just stay on the couch in here? I mean....that's...that's if you're okay with sharing your bedroom, I just figured it would be easier, sorry...I didn't mean to assume.." she trailed off and Jim smiled "you're cute when you're nervous, I'll tell you what, I'll make you a deal. I will not go through the torment of attempting to make a bed, if you will stay in here and use my bed, I'll crash on the couch" he said, "that's really sweet of you but I couldn't let you-" Melinda started "it's not optional" Jim decided with a grin "I'll take the couch, you take the bed, here, I'll give you a shirt.." Jim opened his top drawer and pulled out a purple t-shirt "sorry, I don't think I have any pants that would fit you" Jim said with a chuckle, Melinda smiled "it's okay...thank you for all of this" she said with a smile. Jim pointed her in the direction of the bathroom and followed her there, he opened the cabinet and pulled out a pack of 3 toothbrushes "help yourself, uh, here's a towel if you wanna wash up or anything...there's toothpaste in there" he said pointing to the small cabinet above the sink, "thanks Jim, I'll be quick" she promised "you don't have to rush, I can wait" he replied as he left her alone. Melinda cleaned herself up a little, brushed her teeth and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail with loose curls falling around her face.

"Bathroom's free" she called to Jim, he stood up from the couch and walked towards the bathroom, just as he passed her he turned around and smiled "purple's your colour" he complimented, Melinda smiled "thanks" she breathed. Feeling guilty about banishing Jim from his own bed, Melinda climbed onto the couch slowly and pulled the covers up that Jim had laid out for himself, she smiled at his kindness and closed her eyes.

Jim walked back into the bedroom a few minutes later and shook his head with a smile as he saw Melinda asleep on the couch "stubborn" he whispered, he pulled back the covers of his bed and deliberated for a second before padding quietly over to Melinda and scooping her up into his arms making her jump slightly "what are you doing?" she whispered still half asleep, Jim smiled "goodnight Melinda" he whispered back as he laid her in his bed and pulled the covers up over her, she smiled "g'night Jim" she sighed happily as she fell straight back into a deep slumber, Jim headed over to the couch and collapsed, as his head hit the pillow he got a burst of strawberry scent from Melinda's shampoo and smiled as he inhaled it deeply, "Melinda Gordon" he whispered to himself happily as he too drifted into sleep.

Jim awoke to the smell of bacon and toast, his head lifted from the pillow and he glanced around his bedroom momentarily confused as to why he was laying on the couch "Melinda" he remembered, he smiled and looked over to his bed but found it empty, made, and his t-shirt was folded neatly on the pillow Melinda had used, he yawned and stretched tiredly before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth and splash his face.

Once he was finished, Jim jogged down the stairs and walked through the living room, reception room and foyer until he reached his kitchen "morning sleepyhead" Melinda said with a chuckle, Jim laughed and looked down at himself, he was still wearing his outfit from the night before, minus his shoes and socks and his hair was tousled "you're cooking?" he asked, Melinda smiled "it's the least I could do, you were so kind to me...letting me stay here, giving me your bed and everything, by the way, I'm _pretty_ sure I fell asleep on the couch last night" she said with a raised eyebrow, "I couldn't let you do that Melinda, it wouldn't be right" he said, she smiled "well thank you, I slept very well".

They ate together in comfortable quiet while music played softly from the radio, Melinda was just about to finish when her stomach began to churn uneasily "oh God" she mumbled "what is-" Jim couldn't even finish the question before Melinda had bolted through the house and up the stairs. She shut the bathroom door behind her and took a few deep breaths "ok, I'm okay...it's o-" she leaned over the toilet and brought up her entire breakfast, her stomach clenched painfully and her head began to hurt "Melinda!?" Jim called as he reached his bedroom "in here!" she replied, he ran over to the bathroom door and knocked on it "are you okay?" he asked, "yeah I think so, just morning sickness" she replied, "can I come in?" he asked after she flushed the toilet "sure" Melinda replied. When Jim walked in she was brushing her teeth vigorously "have you been sick every day?" he asked, his mind going automatically into doctor-mode, "yeah pretty much" she replied as she finished.

"C'mere" Jim commanded gently, Melinda turned to him and he pressed a hand to her forehead "you're a little warm but that's to be expected after being sick, have you had any other symptoms?" he asked, Melinda thought for a second "no, not really, just the nausea" she confirmed, he nodded "have you made an appointment with an ObG?" Melinda smiled "Monday" she told him. "Okay, well if your temperature keeps up or gets worse then you better go down to Mercy, gotta make sure you're both healthy" Jim said with a smile "thank you" she replied happily. When Charlie had told her to make an appointment and take care of herself it had sounded so condescending and rude, like he thought she was incapable of looking after their baby, but when Jim said it, he sounded like he truly cared, like he really wanted to make sure that she and the baby were okay.

"Come on _preggers_ let's get you home" Jim said with a smirk, Melinda giggled "preggers? Never thought that would apply to me" she said, he smiled "well, now it does" he said poking her stomach lightly, she laughed and followed him down and out of the house "thanks agai-" "no more thank you's, you're welcome" Jim said cutting her off with a genuine smile, she nodded "okay".

Half an hour later they puled up at Melinda's door and she gasped as she saw Charlie's car in the driveway, her face paled and her heart began to race .._relax, he's probably seeping anyway, he won't see Jim.._ she calmed herself, it didn't work. "What's the matter? Are you okay" Jim asked "sorry I..yeah, I'm okay, uh.." "I'll see you soon?" he asked, Melinda nodded distantly "I have to go" she murmured "okay, well I'll swing by the store soon and see how you're doing" he suggested. Melinda nodded and he gave her a light hug "later Mel" he said with a wave as she climbed out of the car "later Jim". Her fingertips were cold and her hands began to feel clammy as she approached the door, Jim drove out onto the road and the absence of his car engine left her in eerie silence. She unlocked the front door and stepped inside, Melinda gasped as she was met by a rough hand grabbing the front of her top and pulling her up.

"Who the fuck was that?" Charlie growled.

_**It had been such an amazing night, to be so carefree, to just have fun and forget about all of the rules I had become caged by. You brought a smile to my face without even trying, you made me happy. I knew it was wrong to feel anything other than platonic friendship towards you, but I couldn't help but wonder, would my life be different if I were with you instead of him? Would you treat me the same as he does? Or would you show me the kindness that you had already? I couldn't help it, you were just so amazing, so perfect to me, when I woke up I spent a while just watching you sleep, your long legs hanging over the end of the couch uncomfortably, your hair messy and yet perfectly styled, I felt guilty every time i caught myself thinking about you, and somehow...I couldn't stop.**_

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**Thanks for reading guys! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought, kinda long and lots of Jim in this chapter! =)**


	18. I never thought he would

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

Look at that, 2 updates in one morning =) well, afternoon now lol x hope you're all good and I'll try to post again soon! Enjoy the drama...

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Melinda winced as she was pushed against the door "Charlie, he was a customer from the store, the guy who invited us out, Delia's car broke down last night so we slept in his guest room" Melinda lied shakily, would he buy it? Would he let it go? A hard hand slapped Melinda with so much force it threw her head to the side and pain shot down her neck and spine, Charlie grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her into the living room dropping her roughly on the couch, he stormed over to the phone and pressed the answering machine button. _"Hey Mel, I know you're out tonight but I just wanted to ask a huge favour, I have to go meet with Ned's principal on Tuesday so I was hoping you could handle the store on your own for a few hours, let me know okay? Thank you SO much, uh, if it's a problem don't worry at all, just gimme a call when you can, love you!" _Delia's voice came. Melinda's heart stopped beating, her breath caught and her head swam, Charlie knew.

"I...Delia said she couldn't make it..b..because she had to watch Ned, I knew if I told you then you would ask me not to go, but I wanted to....so..I..I went anyway, Jim picked me up and then by the end of the night he had a few drinks so I told him not to worry about driving, that I would...I would get a cab, but he said...that...he said that it was dangerous and I..and..he said I could use his guest room because we could walk to his house from there and it would only take a few minutes. I stayed in the guest ro..room Charlie, I wasn't even on the same floor of the house as him...This morning he offered to drop me home as an apology for not being able to drive last night. I knew if I told you the truth...that you would..you would think I was lying anyway...so I figured if I said Delia-" "JUST SHUT UP!" Charlie yelled, he pressed a hand to his forehead. This was it. His softer demeanour was cracking, his breathing was heavy, his hands fell to his sides and clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles went white. He was losing it. Fast.

"Charlie I'm sorry, I just didn't want to upset you" Melinda whimpered, she stood and slowly approached him, his face softened slightly and he looked down at his feet "no" he mumbled "no..what?" Melinda questioned softly, he looked up at her with hooded eyes and before she even had a chance to blink, his fist flew into the side of her face "NO! It's NOT okay!" Charlie yelled hitting her again, "please Charli..Charlie..the baby" Melinda whimpered tasting blood in her mouth as he struck her a third time, she fell to the floor and braced herself for another hit, it never came. "I...no I didn't mean to, I wasn't thinking..the baby" Charlie mumbled, Melinda sobbed quietly on the floor, her entire face felt as though it was on fire, "please don't" she cried quietly as Charlie knelt beside her, she brought her hand up to cover her face and whimpered as he reached out to her "no...no no..please don't hurt me" she whispered almost inaudibly.

Charlie pulled her hand away from her face and she clamped her eyes shut, "look at me" he growled, Melinda looked up at him nervously and he lifted her from the floor into his lap, his fingers were digging roughly into her arms "I'm sorry" she sobbed, Charlie's eyes darkened "you see what you made me do? I'm _trying_ here, I'm trying to be a better person...for you, but if you go out of your way to push my buttons...this is _gonna_ happen" he chastised "I know...I know Charlie and I'm so sorry" she told him.

Charlie held Melinda tight to his chest and buried his face in her neck kissing her repeatedly, his kisses became more hungry and Melinda tried to push him away "no Charlie, not now, please I just wanna lie down" Melinda said softly, Charlie ignored her completely and slipped a hand from her knee all the way up her leg until it was under her skirt "Charlie _stop_" Melinda said trying to squirm away from him, this was _not_ the time for romance.

Apparently that didn't matter so much to Charlie, Melinda's eyes flew open as he bit her neck hard, "STOP!" she screamed, Charlie lowered her to the floor and despite her crying, lay on top of her and continued his ministrations. "Take this off" he commanded pulling at the hem of her top "Charlie" Melinda sobbed "why? Why are you doing this? _Please don't_" she begged, this couldn't happen, she couldn't go through this...not with him. Charlie jerked slightly as if he had been pushed, his eyes widened in realisation and he stared down at her in complete horror as she cried.

He lifted off Melinda and ran to the kitchen sink dry heaving, "I didn't....I wasn't going to..I would _never_" he mumbled between his shaky breaths, Melinda pulled her top down and brought her knees up to her chest, she was numb. Her mind wasn't working right, her body not responding, everything felt wrong and yet she couldn't feel anything at all. What had he been about to do? Would he really have done it? What had made him stop? The questions flew fast around her mind not giving her a chance to hold onto one long enough to try to find an answer for it. Charlie washed his face and braced himself against the kitchen counter .._what happened to me? I was hurting her...I was about to make her-..._ Charlie cut off his own thoughts and ran to Melinda. She screamed loudly and tried to push herself up from the floor to run but her bruised and tired wouldn't allow it, she fell back down landing hard on her shoulder. Charlie walked towards her and winced when she let out an ear-piercing scream "don't hurt me! Please...please Charlie I love you...think of the baby, _our _baby" Melinda cried, Charlie took a deep breath as he stood over her.

Falling to the floor beside Melinda, he lifted her into his arms and held her tight "I'm so sorry" he whispered, tears began to roll down his cheeks and his chest shook with heaving sobs "I'm so sorry Melinda, I would _never_, I wouldn't hurt you like that, I swear to God Melinda, I'm sorry" he cried, she nodded into his chest and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt holding onto him tightly "l love you Melinda, remember that" he whispered, Melinda couldn't even bring herself to reply through the sobs. It was over two hours later before either of them managed to stop crying.

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Charlie helped Melinda to stand up then lifted her and held the backs of her legs making her wrap them around his waist "we have to go fix this" he said with a pained expression, Melinda was unsure as to what he was talking about until she caught sight of her reflection, her bottom lip was swollen and blood was spattered across her chin, her stomach lurched and she shuddered "Char, I'm gonna be sick" she whimpered, he rushed up the stairs with her wrapped around him and burst into the bathroom, setting her gently on the floor Charlie lifted the toilet lid and held Melinda's hair back as she was violently sick. "Melinda...is this healthy? I mean, I know you're meant to have morning sickness but..." he trailed off as she retched again and whimpered quietly "sssh, you're okay sweetie, you're okay" he comforted, Melinda nodded "I think it's over" she whispered, her head was pounding, her cheeks stung and her face ached, her stomach was sore and unsettled.

Charlie waited a few minutes before flushing the toilet and helping Melinda to stand, she leaned over the sink and splashed her face before brushing her teeth extensively and washing her face with an exfoliating scrub, "better?" Charlie asked, he had just run downstairs and back to fetch her a glass of water, Melinda smiled "yeah, thanks" she said softly, feeling light-headed she gripped the counter tightly "I think I'm gonna jump in the shower" Melinda told him, Charlie nodded "I'll leave you, wanna have a duvet day?" he asked, Melinda nodded as she went into the bedroom to grab her clothes walking slowly and unsteadily, as she stood in her closet and pulled pyjamas out of her drawers, the pounding in her head was worsening "babe, are you okay?" Charlie asked, Melinda opened her mouth to answer but no sound came out, a 'pins and needles' sensation prickled at her fingertips and worked its way up her arms and to her chest "Charlie I don-" Melinda was cut off by a wave of severe dizziness "Mel?!" Charlie yelled as he heard a soft thud from her closet, he ran around the bed to the other side of the room and his eyes widened, Melinda was out cold, her head was resting on her washing pile so he knew she hadn't injured it, but there was blood pouring from her nose, his stomach flipped uneasily ..._I did this...I hit her hard, __**too**__ hard..._ he thought worriedly.

"Melinda?" he asked, she wouldn't respond. Charlie knew it was his fault, her face was already developing large bruises on either side from his fist, only adding to the ones that were already there, the cheek she had hit on the coffee table before was now an even more vibrant shade of purple and was slightly larger, closer to her eye. He panicked, he knew there was no way he could take her to a hospital without it being blindly obvious what had happened to her, they would figure it out immediately.

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_**Xx thanks for reading! What is Charlie gonna do now?....xX**_


	19. There's something wrong inside

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

This chapter is a little disturbing in some ways, I just wanted to start opening Charlie's mind for you to see. I hope you like it!Please leave a review, I dont mind how short or long it is, just anything to let me know you're still with me x and thank you so much to those who always do X Lolly X

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"Mel?" Charlie asked, his voice was tearful, filled with remorse, what had he done? He had taken it too far and yet not far enough. It hurt him to see her like that and still he somehow wanted more, her pain had become a drug to him. A drug he knew wasn't healthy, he knew it was hurting them, hurting her....but he was addicted. Her screams, oh _God, _what they did to him, to hear her crying out his name, it pierced through him and sent shivers down his spine, good shivers, hot shivers.._I'm sick.._ he told himself, "there's something wrong with me" he growled, he wanted to hold her and love her and help her, but at the same time he longed to sit and watch as the blood crawled down over her chin staining her chin red, to taste that blood as he kissed her and touched her. Melinda's eyes were closed, her face bruised, her body small and fragile looking, he brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and kissed her head "wake up" he whispered. Melinda's skin was warm and he took it as a good sign, tentatively wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her and carried her out of the closet and to the bed. Charlie sat with Melinda on his lap and tilted her head back against his shoulder then pinched the bridge of her nose firmly between his thumb and forefinger. The bleeding stopped.

Charlie was fighting with himself, trying desperately to quiet the growling inside the cage he had carefully constructed for his desires. But he lost. He kissed Melinda gently, his lips pushing hers apart, tasting the blood that had run across them he pressed her hard against him and buried his face in her neck, tears rushed down his cheeks and dripped onto hers as he lay her down "_please_ wake up" he begged, she didn't listen, she couldn't.

Through the pain and the torment...he smiled. Although it made him sick to embrace the sadist within, the monster who rejoiced in her pain, she was beautiful this way, broken and perfect.

His masterpiece. His love. His control.

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Charlie had undressed Melinda wincing as all of her bruises were completely exposed to him, old and new-purple, pink, blue, green and yellow- a rainbow of torture, the demon within him was satisfied for now. He had filled the tub half way with warm water, bathed her as gently as he could then wrapped her up in a towel and carried her back to the bedroom. Melinda was regaining some consciousness slowly, she could hear what was going on around her and feel Charlie rubbing her down softly with a huge fluffy towel, she was trying her hardest to make some kind of a movement, even to just twitch a finger, but her body was tired, she was scared...stress was dangerous for a pregnant woman, her stomach was hurting, she felt sick and feverish, Charlie hadn't just damaged her on the outside, he had done something to their baby. She was pleading in her mind, screaming, sobbing. .._just hold on baby, Daddy didn't mean it, I promise. You're going to be okay...my little munchkin..._she attempted to hold onto the feel of Charlie's hands on her naked skin, cupping her face he kissed her as softly as anyone ever could, his lips lingering for a long time, he pulled back and allowed his fingertips to trace her collarbone lightly "Melinda I love you" he whispered .._so why do you keep hurting me?.._ she replied silently "I don't know why I keep doing this to you" he cried as is he had read her mind "...it's like..God, I'm sick Melinda, there's something wrong in my head and I need you to understand, I'm begging you to understand, I want to be what you need, what you deserve, and I _love _you baby, I do" he kissed her again and when he pulled away Melinda felt a drop of moisture land just above her right hip. A tear.

_..Don't cry Charlie, I love you too..._the utterance longed to pass her lips but she hadn't the strength. Then it happened. A fierce fluttering in her stomach, butterfly wings beating inside, but they were sharp, sharp and many. She had to do something _...hold on baby, please don't leave me..._ what could be causing the baby so much distress? The attack was over, Charlie's fists were unclenched and currently holding her hands, she was okay, right? Wrong. Melinda hadn't noticed it before but she could hear it now loud enough that it could have been outside her chest. Her heart beat.

It was racing so fast and irregular that Melinda's breaths were uneven, _she_ was hurting the baby. It was only then that she understood...she was _terrified. _Charlie's actions had produced an equally violent _re_action, he had petrified her. She had to calm down, the pressure in her chest from the lack of air due to such horrid breathing was crushing the baby, depriving it of the healthy oxygenated blood it needed to survive. And now it was panicking, just like she was. "Cha.." she gasped, a strangled whisper, his head shot up from when it had been resting on their joined hands atop Melinda's stomach, "MEL!?" he yelled, she shivered "I'm sorry....I didn't mean to scare you" he said, his voice softer now, "th' ba...baby" she whispered, "there's something wrong with the baby?!" he asked, horrified, Melinda tried to take a deep breath but it caught in her throat, she opened her eyes tiredly "yes" she whispered. "I ca...breathe r...right" she told him fearfully, "is there something wrong with your chest? Does it hurt?" Charlie quizzed, he was crying hard, and Melinda hated to see him in pain, but at the same time she hoped it would be a lesson for him, teach him the value of their relationship, of their baby's life, so he could see what he had to lose. Melinda shook her head as best she could "I can't...calm down, I'm scared" she whimpered, tears filled her eyes and rolled sideways from her face, landing in her ear on one side and the bed on the other, Charlie seemed to understand, the pained realization dawned on his face "are you having a panic attack?" he asked guiltily, Melinda nodded "I think so" she whispered.

Charlie's face crumpled "this is all my fault" he whimpered, "Melinda, listen to me, you have to calm down, you have to do this...we'll do it together" he whispered, gently lifting Melinda he didn't stop the towel when it dropped from her shoulders leaving her completely exposed. Charlie pulled her legs around him so she was straddling his lap, her head fell limply against his shoulder and he pulled her back "Melinda, you have to stay awake" he pleaded, she was tired, unnaturally so...she was concussed. "Mel...Mel open your eyes" he commanded, she was leaning into his hands heavily, her eyes begging to cry but her lips were pressed into a hard line to avoid the tears, Charlie knew she needed to let it out.

"Baby, you can cry. It's okay Melinda, it's okay to let it all out" he whispered in her ear, Melinda's eyes opened and gazed into his, chocolate meeting emerald, she gave a few short and quiet gasps trying to control her crying, but unable withstand the build-up in her chest, she burst into tears and Charlie's own crying stopped in shock. The monster growled lowly from it's cage, he had broken her so completely, she was crumbled in his arms and instead of putting the pieces back together, he yearned to seize some of the shards, hiding them away so she could never ever be whole again, his forever, scarred and marked, his damaged property that no one else would want but he would always keep.

Melinda's cries were gentle, fragile, and with every sob she released...she could feel herself calming, the trembling had stopped, replaced by her shouders shaking as she cried, she wasn't feeling sick anymore, and as far as she could tell the baby was peaceful again. Her heartrate was slowing to normal. "Charlie I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry I made this happen" she whispered tearfully, he nodded "I forgive you Melinda. And I'm sorry too...I should never have...I need to be more careful, for you and our child" he replied. Melinda took a deep breath, the air swirling around her lungs and bringing with it the sweetest release, she would be okay.

Charlie's left hand was flat against the small of her back, pressing her into him, the fingertips of his right hand trailed up her arm leaving shivers in its wake, Melinda knew what he wanted, wha he was asking for... and though she didn't want it just then, she knew she owed him, she had to give him everything...everything to make it right. Charlie's right hand continued up into Melinda's hair, massaging her scalp "Melinda..." he peppered kisses along her jaw trying to help her relax. Melinda took a deep breath _..I can do this for him, I love him, it's okay to do this, I love him, even though i don't want to, I love him, what I want doesn't matter anymore, I love him, I love him, I love him.. "_God, you..you're perfect..." he grabbed a fistful of her hair and let the silky strangs slip through his fingers "I love you" Melinda whispered.

Charlie smiled and lowered her to the bed pulling off his tank top "I love you too" he replied against her lips before kissing her deeply, he pressed himself into her and moaned at the feeling, "you're mine Melinda, you always have been, and you always will be" Charlie said softly, quickly removing his boxer shorts his lips were against her neck and sucking softly on her skin, "...and it's time for you to stop fighting it" he finished as he pushed into her. Melinda nodded and held onto his broad shoulders, foregetting about the pain she was in-physical and emotional alike, she allowed him to fill her, to complete her, to take control and take her over. This was what she had to do now...give him control.

_**..I love him, I love him, I love him..**_


	20. Tell me it's okay

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

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**Hey guys this is a pretty long chapter =) hope you have some time to let me know what you think x thanks for the reviews from last chapter they really made me smile and are seriously what inspired me today to keep writing xx Lolly xx**

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_**I had thought of Charlie as many things over our time together- a friend, a lover, a protector. But the one thing I never knew him as was an abuser. That's what he was...him the abuser, me the forgiver. I could see it now, he was right, he really was sick. He enjoyed this...hurting me, hearing me scream and beg for him to stop, seeing me cry. He loved me...but he loved to hate me even more.**_

Ouch, her fingers hovered over the tender skin, red with a halo of purple, she pressed it hard and a quiet whimper fell from her lips. Had it just been one hit, she knew it would have fit perfectly to his fist, but after being struck countless times the ink beneath her silken skin had spread, kissing its sister bruises, much like a painting that had been soaked by the rain, the colours bled into one another. She to hide them, layering them with foundation over and over until she looked as though she were preparing to work the streets. Tears fell fast down her near airbrushed cheeks, why should she bother hiding them? He would just create more anyway.

She gently fingered the satin bow on the front of the negligee she was wearing, it had been a gift...from him. An apology actually, a 'sorry I broke your finger last night' gift from one of his first outbursts, before the hitting had begun and he was 'only' shoving her around.

It was during moments like these that she wondered why she was with him, why she allowed him to do these things to her, why she accepted it with open arms and made excuses for his lack of control. Surely it wasn't worth it. Surely there was someone _else_ out there, someone who wanted the same things she did- friendship, love, trust- a true relationship. But as quickly as those thoughts entered her conflicted mind, they left again. Yes, he could be cruel, harsh, and sadistic even...but she truly believed-no, she was positive that he was trying. He was trying to change, to be a better person, and he was listening to her, when she had cried he lifted off of her and stepped back from the damage he was causing, his warped mind processing the screams of fear and his conscience beating the monster down. It was hard for him, she knew that, and doing things to provoke him would do neither of them any good. She just had to be there, to tie her own hands behind her back and offer herself to him, to let him do with her he wished, to serve him, cater to his every whim and maybe, just maybe, she would be worthy of his love.

She knew the cuts and bruises were a small price to pay for his love, to lay in his arms at night, his heartbeat softly thrumming under her ear, lulling her to sleep. Late at night sometimes, when he thought she was dreaming, he would slip his fingers into her hair and massage her scalp, he would even wrap a loose tendril around his finger then unwrap it again to see if he had made a curl. Lord, how she cherished those nights, for it had now become so rare for him to partake in moments of tenderness.

Washing the makeup off she sighed, it looked worse than it felt and in a few days it would fade and she prayed it would take with it her memory of the day before. She knew it wouldn't. Melinda started over again, applying concealer first to restore her skin to its natural colour, then a light layer of foundation with bronzer and blush dusted over her cheeks. She groaned at her reflection, her face was thin it seemed, all the sickness was causing her to lose weight instead of gain it, she had already vomited this morning's breakfast after her shower, and it was upon seeing her reflection while brushing her teeth that she decided to attempt a cover-up mission. She applied some dark brown eyeliner through her upper and lower lash lines then patted on some light cream eye shadow. Presentable, it would have to do.

"Babe are you ready?" Charlie asked, his voice gravelly with fatigue, he had stayed awake most of the night and woke her every hour to make sure she was still conscious, a couple of times she woke fully but the rest her slight stirring was enough reassurance, "yeah" she replied meekly, her voice holding no conviction, no power. Melinda had her appointment today, a check up to find out how far along she was in the pregnancy and to make sure the baby was healthy, she was nervous, her chest and stomach were littered with bruises that had been damn near impossible to hide.

Eventually giving up on makeup she had opted for tanning lotion followed by a light dusting of powder, they were much less noticeable now and Melinda hoped that the doctor wouldn't realize anything was wrong. She was wearing one of Charlie's gray and white pinstripe shirts with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows,the top few buttons open and a Chanel waist belt to accentuate her perfect form. Underneath she had black leggings with knitted gray Ugg Boots, her hair was tumbling over her shoulders in loose curls and she added a quick swipe of rosy tinted lip gloss. "You look beautiful Melinda...then again, you always do" Charlie whispered in her ear making her jump and spin around, "you scared me" she whispered, he gave a sly smile and she returned it with a smirk. "Ready to see our baby?" She asked quietly wrapping her arms around his neck and rising up to her tippy toes and kissing his cheek, he pouted in disappointment and she kissed his lips firmly, his arms wrapped around her and he smiled against her lips "I can't wait" he whispered.

* * *

It took an hour for them to be in the doctor's office, Melinda was laying on the examination bed with her shirt pulled up to expose her very slightly filled out belly, cool gel was squirted on her skin and she bit back a giggle "sorry, I know it's cold" the doctor said with a laugh, she held the ultrasound microphone against Melinda's stomach and a soft sound began to fill the room.

"This baby wasn't made out of love. It was made out of _submission_" a cold voice rang through Melinda's mind, she turned discretely to find Rosie standing beside her, near upside down from the angle the bed was tilted at "right there, listen, can you hear the heartbeat?" the doctor asked, Charlie squeezed Melinda's hand tight and kissed her cheek "that's our baby Melinda" he whispered happily, she smiled widely "this baby was made out of nothing but love" she murmured, Charlie smiled "you're right" he replied thinking she was addressing him. Rosie touched the ultrasound screen and the picture flickered slightly causing the doctor to frown and scoot away on her chair to fiddle with the cables in the back. "What did he do to you yesterday Melinda? I saw you this morning...your face, he hit you again" she stated, Melinda gave the slightest nod possible and Rosie bent down to her level "Melinda, it's not safe for you _or_ your baby to be around him, he's a dangerous man, like a bomb waiting to explode, you press the wrong button Melinda and boom. It will be over. You have to protect your child...please don't make the same mistake I did" Rosie was crying now as she watched the picture on the screen.

"We're going to be okay" Melinda insisted, Charlie smiled "I know" he answered, once again assuming she had been talking to him, but Rosie knew the statement was meant for her. "Don't be naive Melinda, you're smarter than this, I _know_ you are, you have the sense to get out, to _want_ to get out, please don't let him hurt you" she whispered, Melinda's eyes were filling with tears and Rosie gave a long wistful sigh as she touched the monitor once more before disappearing. "So, doctor, do you have any idea how far along I am?" Melinda asked, she smiled and nodded "I would say you're around seven weeks. So, you are currently at 99lbs, have you gained anything at all?" the doctor said sounding slightly worried, Melinda shook her head "uh..actually I've lost a couple of pounds in the past week or so, I've had pretty bad morning sickness which actually isn't just in the morning, though it _is_ worst when I wake up, I haven't been able to keep hardly anything down so far, it's pretty much at least once a day" she explained, the doctor nodded, a pensive look clouding her blue eyes.

"Okay, well your ideal weight is actually 110 to 135lbs so I'm thinking you were probably just about at a healthy weight to start with. Have you always been small?" she asked gently, Melinda nodded, she was worried...was this going to cause a problem, was she making the baby ill? Was she a bad mother _already_? Melinda had always maintained a low weight, low but healthy, her figure wasn't particularly thin either, sure, she had no fat to speak of, but as far as she could tell she was curvy in all the right places. "Okay, well then it's nothing to worry about. Would you like to take home a picture?" she asked, Melinda sighed quietly in relief "please" she answered excitedly, Charlie smiled and brought her hand to his lips kissing it gently "I'll prescribe you some anti nausea drugs which will help you keep your food down, you need to be eating at _least_ three meals a day, healthy food but not too healthy, the baby isn't going to do well on salad and air" she joked, Melinda chuckled and Charlie poked her hip with a laugh, "good, hearty, full meals" he agreed, the doctor smiled "you're a lucky lady" she said with a warm smile which Melinda returned.

_..If only she knew the truth.._Melinda clamped her eyes shut and forced the negative thought to the back of her mind. No more bad thoughts allowed. "So I'm underweight?" Melinda asked guiltily, the doctor gave her a reassuring smile "once you start keeping your food down, it will be fine, you'll start gaining quickly and we'll have you healthy in no time at all" she said with a sunny smile, Melinda believed her. "I'm actually only expecting you to gain around 30lbs by full term, that still leaves you in the healthy range for a woman of your height who _isn't_ pregnant" she said with a slightly awestruck tone, Melinda smiled, although it hadn't bothered her that she would gain weight, it comforted her to know that she wouldn't lose her figure and it should be quite easy to get back into shape post-baby. "Is that normal?" she asked, the doctor nodded "it's rare, but you're very small to begin with so please Melinda, don't worry about it for now" she wiped the gel off Melinda's stomach and Charlie helped her pull the shirt back down then sit up. "So the baby looks absolutely perfect, I'm gonna ask you to come back here two weeks from today just as a progress check on your sickness and weight, I'm hoping you will have gained around 4-5lbs by then, I know it sound like a lot but it's just a target so don't panic, you don't have to eat extra food or super fattening foods, just a rich diet and you'll both be fine. At your next ultra sound I can put the footage on a DVD for you if you'd like. Anyway, I'm also putting you on pre-natal vitamins just for yours and your baby's general health, everything is looking great and I look forward to seeing you guys again soon" she chirped.

Melinda smiled "thanks so much" "thank you" she and Charlie said simultaneously, with a picture of the ultrasound in hand Melinda jumped off the bed and Charlie pulled her towards the door, as soon as they were out of the office he pressed her into the wall "how amazing was that!?" he asked his eyes wild with excitement "...I mean, that's our _baby_...inside of you" he fell into a crouch in front of her and stared at her stomach "our baby" he whispered, he leaned into her and kissed her stomach gently making her giggle. He wrapped his arms around her hips and threw her over his shoulder, Melinda squealed in delight blushing at the public display, she knew as soon as they walked around the corner there would be a crowd of people milling around the maternity ward, as she giggled and clutched onto the back of Charlie's t-shirt, a cold wind blew around her.

"Leave him" Rosie commanded, she was standing at the end of the hallway, Melinda getting further away by the second "it's not safe Melinda, LEAVE HIM!" she screamed, Melinda felt an ice cold fear grip her heart and all of a sudden Rosie was right in front of her face as Charlie had stopped for the elevator, her eyes were red-rimmed and bruised, her face purple and blue like Melinda's under the makeup, she leaned down to where Melinda was hanging over his shoulder, straining her neck to look up at Rosie, Melinda took a deep breath as she moved in close so that their faces were almost touching "Charlie is going to kill you. I've seen it"

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Please let me know what you thought! Xx Lolly xX


	21. What do we do now?

I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!

_**The two weeks had been hell. Everything I did was carefully measured, not wanting to provoke the monster but at the same time uncertain of what the triggers might be. I was trying to help him, to show him that I loved him and always would, but it was getting harder. I was scared. Love is giving someone the power to hurt you, to destroy you...and then trusting them not to. That trust was dissipating.**_

"**Hey Charlie, I was just calling to check on Mel, see how the ultrasound went" Delia had said excitedly, "Melinda's fine now, but she uh...she fell down the stairs" Charlie lied "oh my God! Is she okay? Is the baby okay?" she had asked worriedly, Charlie frowned "they're fine" he replied shortly. Melinda had been laying on the bed through the conversation, her entire body aching, the bruises had darkened over the day and the pain had worsened, tears ran slowly down her cheeks while she had listened to Charlie spit lies out at her best friend. He held her hand tightly in his own and rubbed comforting circles on the back of it. "Oh...okay...well, can I talk to her?" Delia asked, sounding put out, Charlie sighed "I'm sorry Delia, now's just not really a good time, but I'll let Melinda know you called, okay?" "um...sure, I guess, I-" she didn't even have time to finish before Charlie hung up the phone. "It's for the best" he whispered. **

* * *

That had been two weeks ago, Delia had gotten incredibly worried, Melinda hadn't been into the store at all and she told Delia to take a few days off with pay, she had called Melinda seven times since and every time she got the same answer from Charlie- "now's not a good time". She had had enough, Delia turned her key in the ignition and took a deep breath, a large container of 'get well' soup on the seat beside her, she was going to see her best friend and she'd be damned if she'd let Charlie stop her.

* * *

Melinda was sitting at her dressing table, tears flowed freely over her cheeks as she stared into the reflection of her cold lifeless eyes, Rosie had just left after an hour of pleading with her to leave Charlie, she showed her flashes of her own abuse and assaulted her with memories of the pain. This had been going on since the first hospital appointment, every day she begged Melinda to do the right thing, to leave him, to keep her baby safe. And every day Melinda held her hands over her ears and cried until Rosie left. She couldn't take it anymore, the fear and torment of uncertainty, wondering each day if it would be her last, would this be the day that Charlie snapped?

She loved him more than she loved life itself and she believed in him, but the fear was filling her inside, slowly like sand through an hourglass timer. She was unsure of him now, fearful of making a wrong move, constantly thinking ahead and contemplating possible consequences of even the most trivial actions. "Are you okay?" Charlie asked appearing in the doorway, she nodded quickly to appease him but he wasn't easily fooled. Without any hesitation or complication he pulled Melinda backwards from her seat and carried her over to the bed, she didn't resist as he lay her down and then lay on his side tracing patterns on her stomach. "Why are you so sad honey?" he asked gently, she turned away from him as the tears rolled faster but he held her chin and brought her face back to his "don't hide it from me Melinda, I know you're hurting and I want to help...let me be here for you" he whispered. Melinda closed her eyes against the tears "I can't" she whispered, the movement of his fingers faltered, "is it because of me?" he asked, she shook her head and he raised an eyebrow "Melinda, it's okay that I'm the one who made you sad, okay? You don't have to hide that from me sweetheart" he said softly kissing her forehead. "Are we gonna be okay Charlie?" she whispered, taking a watery breath she opened her eyes and gazed up into his "baby" he whispered, the pain in that one word told Melinda that he knew exactly what she had been thinking about. Charlie gently brushed her hair from her face and stared at her bruised up cheeks "I love you Mel, and I want what's best for you and our baby, I know I'm not perfect, I can be an awful person sometimes, a monster. But I swear to you, I'm going to love you for the rest of my life, and this baby...I would do anything to keep it safe, I can't say that everything's always going to be the way we want it, but I _can _say that yes, we're going to be okay" he said softly. Melinda reached up to cup his cheek and he leaned into her touch "I love you too" she whispered.

"Do you wanna get out of here for a while?" Charlie asked, Melinda smiled "what did you have in mind?" she replied as she ran her thumb over his lips, Charlie thought about it for a second "how about tonight we go see a movie? Then we could go for dinner...you need to eat" he offered, Melinda had been told at the second appointment that she had only gained a measly 2lbs and was not on track at all, although the anti-nausea drugs were working she just didn't seem to be eating the right things to help her gain weight. The hand that she had on his cheek moved to the back of his neck and she pulled him down to her. Charlie held onto her waist and pulled her flush against his body "you like it?" he asked, she smiled "I like it".

* * *

At 1pm the two of them were still lounging around on the bed, Melinda had fallen asleep after a while of Charlie holding her and he was quite content to just watch her sleep. Her peaceful face, though marred by his own hands, held no sign of distress, no sign of the pain that he knew he had caused, and while he rejoiced in the fact that she looked happy, the monster was restless.

The doorbell rang and Charlie watched Melinda's face carefully to check if it had disturbed her or not, her eyelids fluttered and he immediately wanted to go slam the door in whoever's face for waking his love. "Sshhh, it's okay honey, go back to sleep" he whispered, Melinda nodded and he untangled her from his arms to run downstairs, he opened the door with a frown on his face and was surprised to find Delia at the door "hey Charlie" she said politely, he glanced back into the house then met her eyes again "Delia..uh..what are you doing here?" he asked trying not to sound rude, she flinched slightly at his harsh words "I...Melinda's my best friend. You said she was hurt and I haven't been able to see her for a couple of weeks so..well, I figured I'd stop by on my way home, I brought some soup" she said holding out the container with a smile, Charlie took it and returned her smile "thanks, that's really nice of you, but...now's not really the best time" he said, she frowned "is Mel okay?" she asked, he glanced back inside again, his eyes were shifty and Delia could feel that something wasn't right "she's fine" he said shortly.

Delia's worried eyes danced across his face then flickered behind him as she saw something "Mel?" she asked, her voice was worried and confused at the same time, she could just about make out Melinda's face at the top of the stairs and from what she could see it looked as though her face was bruised badly. Charlie shifted uncomfortably and Melinda's eyes widened "uh..honey, why don't you go back upstairs and lie down?" he suggested, although at first his voice seemed calm, Delia thought it sounded very measured, as though he was deliberately trying to appear normal "no..Melinda? are you okay?" she asked, Melinda's eyes were frightened as she looked at Charlie "I'm okay Delia, thanks for stopping by, it's really sweet of you but...I just need to rest right now..." she said, her eyes still fixed on Charlie, Delia's skin was prickling, the hair on her arms and the back of her neck standing on end, something was wrong here. Very wrong.

Melinda hurried out of sight and Charlie rubbed the stubble on his chin, he plastered a smile on his face "well thanks so much for stopping by Delia, I'll make sure Melinda eats this all up" he said lifting the container slightly. "Okay...well uh, tell Melinda to...well, she can call me if she needs anything" she stuttered. Charlie nodded and swung the door shut leaving her standing on the porch utterly confused, she climbed into her car and drove off with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

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Please leave a review and let me know what you thought x I know this chapter wasn't particularly interesting but it's just one of a few fillers until my next plot twist MUHAHAHA x love you all and I hope you're happy and well, I promise you some Jim in the next chapter x.


	22. I didn't mean to do that

A/N 1: Hey yall before you get into it I'd really like to just say thank you all again, I love hearing what you all think and it really helps me to know that I'm doing something right. It's like, I'm writing because I love writing- but an actor would get no joy from performing to no audience, you know? I love to know that there are people out there, even just one person, who is reading what I write. Thank you all xx

A/N 2: The story will continue to make as much sense as it always has, but I may be doing more things like this and the last chapter where there are small time jumps, just because I hate writing (or reading) generic filler chapters that really don't contribute anything to the story. I will keep the confusion to a minimum and the time lapses will be short and manageable, promise! X Lolly X

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_**Oh God, had Delia seen me? Charlie was going to be so angry, I should have just stayed in the bedroom, what if Delia saw the bruises? Would she ask about them? Would she know what had happened? Would she tell? I knew the same thoughts must have been running through Charlie's mind and he would be livid that I had put his position of anonymity in jeopardy. He was going to snap. **_

"Charlie I'm so sorry, I...I..I didn't realise Delia was still here and I just wanted to get a glass of water, I know I should have just...just waited but I honestly didn't know...I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me, Charlie I didn't mean to, I swear, I'll check next time I promise, I should have just waited for you to get back up stairs and told me who it was...but I wasn't thinking...I just.." Melinda's voice faded into the background as Charlie watched her. _He_ had done this. She was scared, afraid, _terrified_ of him, she hadn't even done anything wrong and yet her eyes were filled with tears of fear and her voice was shaking, her lip quivering as she spoke.

His love stood before him, she was rambling apologies, almost incoherent in her haste to appease him, Charlie's heart clenched and broke for her, for he knew that things could never be the same again, she would be forever scarred, her heart unable to open to others without crippling fear of destruction. Charlie crossed the room quickly, Melinda stopped talking and looked up at him with wide and searching eyes as he stopped in front of her, he could tell that she was considering her options- stay still and risk being beaten, or run and, well... risk being beaten. He reached out to her and held her shoulder, her small frame trembling beneath his touch.

He could see in her eyes that she feared for her life, is this what he had become to her now? A murderer? And the worst part was that she _didn't _run, so had he been in a fit of temper she would have allowed herself to have been hurt, not attempting to protect herself, giving him control and praying that he would let her live. The thought of her death killed him, not seeing her smile every morning when she woke up, holding her hand as they walked down the street or hearing her quiet voice singing along to the radio in the kitchen as she cooked dinner. But wait, when was the last time he saw her smile that way? Or held her hand? Or heard her sing? He couldn't even remember. So maybe he had done it already, maybe he had killed her long ago, broken her spirit and left her a shell of the beautiful girl she had been when he met her. The monster was ecstatic. Charlie's eyebrows knitted together in a pained frown, wordlessly he wrapped his arms around Melinda, she clutched at his arms and broke down in tears, her cries flooded into his consciousness and filled his senses. Melinda should never feel pain like this, she didn't deserve it, she had loved so selflessly, perhaps too much so.

Charlie's starved demon recoiled at the love he felt for her, it didn't want love. It wanted death, pain, torment. It was screaming at him to do it, do it, do it, hit her, push her, kick her, you know you want to, just do it, she deserves it...kill her. Charlie clenched his jaw and grabbed Melinda's face between his hands, he was frantically searching her eyes, trying his damndest to find something, _anything_ that could dilute the poison of his mind, but he didn't find it. Charlie wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed gentle lips to the crown of her head as she buried her face in his chest. So this was what had been bothering her, the fear and uncertainty, he realised now why she had seemed so distant, all of this emotion was so close to the surface that he supposed it had been easier for her to shut herself off as much as she could. "Melinda, you did nothing wrong baby" he whispered tearfully, she just held onto him tighter as she cried, the monster was disgusted at the tenderness of the moment, wanting only to see her broken.

* * *

"Are you ready Melinda?" Charlie asked that evening as he knocked on the bathroom door, Melinda smiled at her reflection in the mirror, the fading bruises had become much easier to cover with makeup, the new lack of swelling allowing it to look much more natural, undetectable. "Yeah, I'll be down in a sec honey" she called, Charlie smiled and jogged down the stairs, he was wearing a near black pair of jeans with a charcoal gray button down shirt and smart black shoes, his green eyes shining brightly as he watched the top of the staircase expectantly. Melinda appeared, a vision, his heart jumping in his chest and his eyes roaming over her beauty. She was wearing a white dress with a high neck and tank sleeves, it was nipped in at the waist by a thin satin bow, then flowed out over her hips in flowing pleats that ended a few inches above her knees, underneath she had on a pair of black leggings which ended below the knee and a pair of black peep-toe stilettos. "you look beautiful Melinda" he complimented as she reached the bottom of the stairs "thank you" she whispered against his lips as he pulled her into him, "I love you" she said quietly, her lips brushing against his neck "I love you too Melinda, I always will" Charlie whispered brushing a few strands of hair off her face.

* * *

That night had been perfect, the romantic comedy faultlessly executing possibly the most predictable plot in the world of film: Prince meets princess, falls in love, she already has her love, old prince gets thwarted so new prince and princess live happily ever after. Melinda and Charlie had sat feeding each other popcorn and Charlie, every so often, would lift Melinda's hand to his mouth and press his lips to her fingers gently. The meal was beautifully prepared, Italian cuisine at a small restaurant just off the town square, Charlie had laughed at Melinda's blush of embarrassment as she asked for a second portion of her Orecchiette with broccoli. When she shot him a glare he got a forkful of her food and held it to her lips "I won't judge" he said with another chuckle, Melinda narrowed her eyes at him before taking it slowly then smiling at him. They were home and under the covers by 11, Melinda tucked safely in Charlie's arms and his hand resting on her stomach "goodnight sweetheart" he had whispered, "n'night" she replied with a yawn.

* * *

On Thursday morning Melinda had decided she was able to go back to work, the sickness was minimal, her bruises diminished by MAC and her mind set to a day in the store. After a playful shower with Charlie, she dressed in a loose pink 'The Clash' t-shirt pulled flush against her tiny waist by a black Yves Saint Laurent belt with a gold logo buckle, underneath she wore dark blue skinny jeans that hugged her every curve, tucked into knee high black leather boots. Deciding to give her day a fresh start, Melinda straightened her usual curls out into a sleek down-style, her eyes were smoky with gold and black and her lips were glossy pink. "You look gorgeous babe" Charlie whispered in her ear as he pressed her into her dresser from behind, Melinda looked up over her shoulder and smiled "thanks" she whispered, he held her waist and kissed her neck softly, Melinda let out a quiet sigh of contentment before spinning around to capture his lips "I'm gonna miss you" she whispered. Charlie had a double shift coming up, so he wouldn't be home until Saturday morning, "I'll miss you too, I'll call you tonight before bedtime" he said with a smile, she nodded and kissed him once more before they exchanged goodbye and she left.

It was 1pm when the bell at Same As It Never Was rang, Melinda was in the back room out of sight "let me know if you need anything" she called not looking up from her paperwork, "how about a 'hello'?" came a familiar voice, Melinda looked up from beneath her lashes and before she could stop it, a wide grin spread across her face "hello _Jim_". "Morning Mel, are you okay?" he asked, she stepped down from her stool behind her desk and walked out into the main store, Jim had to bite his lip to keep himself from drooling "you look..uh..wow, you're hair is great" he mumbled with a blush of embarrassment, he frowned at his lack of swagger "that was smooth" he muttered, "thank you" Melinda said quietly, her hands self-consciously reaching up to smooth out her hair, Jim wished he could touch it too, the silky strands framing her sparkling eyes and bright smile. Hesitating for a second Melinda bit her lip before walking up to Jim and opening her arms, he smiled down at her and gave her a hug then before she pulled away he gave her a light kiss on the cheek. Jim chuckled as Melinda blushed and looked down as he let her go "do you need something else for the house?" she asked trying to avert his attention from her obvious fluster, he was so close that she could smell the mint of his toothpaste mixed perfectly with his cologne, "actually, I'm here to see you" he said with a lopsided grin. "I was wondering if maybe you'd wanna catch lunch with me?" he asked, Melinda smiled "I'd love to" she replied, Jim smiled and stepped back to allow her past "what are we having?" Jim asked, Melinda threw on a jacket and spun on her heel to face him "surprise me".

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Thanks for reading guys, take care of yourselves, much love!


	23. Time with you is time well spent

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**Longer chapter this time, So sorry it took so long, I haven't really been up to writing for a while. I have a massive chunk of this story already written, I just have to bridge the gap between now and then :) x Thank you guys for sticking with me, I'm going to try to be faster with the updates! Like, really fast lol x **

**Previously on Be My Saviour**

_**It was 1pm when the bell at Same As It Never Was rang, Melinda was in the back room out of sight "let me know if you need anything" she called not looking up from her paperwork, "how about a 'hello'?" came a familiar voice, Melinda looked up from beneath her lashes and before she could stop it, a wide grin spread across her face "hello Jim". "Morning Mel, are you okay?" he asked, she stepped down from her stool behind her desk and walked out into the main store, Jim had to bite his lip to keep himself from drooling "you look..uh..wow, you're hair is great" he mumbled with a blush of embarrassment, he frowned at his lack of swagger "that was smooth" he muttered, "thank you" Melinda said quietly, her hands self-consciously reaching up to smooth out her hair, Jim wished he could touch it too, the silky strands framing her sparkling eyes and bright smile. Hesitating for a second Melinda bit her lip before walking up to Jim and opening her arms, he smiled down at her and gave her a hug then before she pulled away he gave her a light kiss on the cheek. Jim chuckled as Melinda blushed and looked down as he let her go "do you need something else for the house?" she asked trying to avert his attention from her obvious fluster, he was so close that she could smell the mint of his toothpaste mixed perfectly with his cologne, "actually, I'm here to see you" he said with a lopsided grin. "I was wondering if maybe you'd wanna catch lunch with me?" he asked, Melinda smiled "I'd love to" she replied, Jim smiled and stepped back to allow her past "what are we having?" Jim asked, Melinda threw on a jacket and spun on her heel to face him "surprise me".**_

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"I uh..I drive through the town square on my way to work in the morning, I noticed that the store hasn't been open for a while...is everything okay?" Jim asked, they were just sitting down at a table in Lentos, Melinda smiled "you spying on me?" she joked, Jim smirked "I have a...professional curiosity" he countered, she gave a quiet giggle and Jim committed the sound to memory. "Uh, everything's fine, I just had a lot of work to catch up on so I gave Delia some time off too, I figured a couple of weeks wouldn't hurt" she said with a shrug "that is a sweet job" Jim sighed wistfully. "Oh, and how did your appointment go? You know, for the baby...if you don't mind me asking" Jim inquired nervously, "of course I don't mind, oh it was amazing to hear that little heartbeat, the baby was pretty much okay but I kind of got a slap on the wrist from the ObG" Melinda said with a pensive frown.

Jim raised an eyebrow in question "it's nothing really, I'm just not putting on as much weight as I'm meant to...it's all fixed now though, I'm eating for two these days" she said with a grin. Jim's eyes were slightly troubled as they roamed over her figure, Melinda looked away from him in discomfort as he mentally calculated her height and weight "did they give you a target?" he asked, Melinda nodded "I was meant to gain 5lbs by Monday, it didn't work out so well...but in my defence I _had_ just started the anti-nausea drugs to fight off the morning sickness so I wasn't feeling too great. But I'm on track now...scout's honor" she promised with a chuckle, Jim's worry faded and he smiled .._her voice is so cute.._ he thought, "so the you and the baby are okay?" "healthy and happy" she replied. "How far along are you?" Jim questioned, Melinda smiled "only 9 weeks" she said with a smile as she looked down at her stomach and rested a hand on it protectively "here are your menus, let me know when you're ready to order" a waiter said resting the folded cards on the table.

"Thanks" they said in unison, "what have you been getting up to lately? Figured out the town yet?" Melinda asked, Jim smiled "well, I was actually hoping to hire _you_..as a tour guide, if you're willing?" he asked "tour guide?" Melinda asked with a smile. Jim chuckled "I want to explore a little, check out some new places, find things to do, now you don't have to say yes...but I was thinking...you must know your way around here, with all the estate sales and stuff you must find some pretty cool places. I was thinking, if you don't mind, that maybe you could show me around a little?" he inquired gently, though the thought of such close proximity with Jim scared Melinda senseless, it also excited her beyond words and she smiled "you're not sick of me yet?" Jim asked with a smile "I'd love to, it'll be fun, oh God there are some _beautiful_ places around here, oh..and there's this village just north of Grandview called Little Crowley, it's so amazing there in the spring when all the flowers are just coming up and the rain washes everything clean..." Melinda trailed off with embarrassment as Jim chuckled "hey, you started me off!" she protested "I'm not laughing _at_ you, I just knew that you were the right person to ask" he smiled and the two of them placed their lunch orders. Jim watched Melinda eat, sneaking glances while her eyes were occupied, he smiled every time she wrapped her mouth around her fork and felt butterflies flutter around his stomach with every little contented noise she made.

Melinda smiled to herself, she could see Jim watching her and decided to give him something to stare at, she chewed delicately before licking her lips, when she got a small drop of sauce on her thumb she sucked it off then carried on eating as though she was completely unaware of her actions, Melinda could feel something happening between them, this kind of a connection that neither understood but both _wanted_ to. Jim shifted under the table and tried to concentrate on his own food, "mmm" Melinda moaned quietly "this is amazing, I love Lento's, I don't know why I don't come here more often" she mused out loud, Jim smiled "maybe you should" he suggested, "maybe I will" she quipped.

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The rest of lunch continued in similar banter until they finished and Jim walked Melinda back to the store "thanks so much for that Jim, you really didn't have to pay f-" "I wanted to" he cut off with a grin. She smiled up at him and he placed a hand on the small of her back as the crossed the street "ugh, I wish I could just close up and go home" Melinda complained as they strolled along together, "self employment has its benefits Mel, do it, go home" he suggested "I can't, I have so much paperwork to do" she griped. "Like inventory?" Jim asked, she nodded and he smiled "need a hand?" he asked "oh God no, I wasn't asking you to...I mean you don't have to do that" she said with a blush working its way across her cheeks, Jim smiled down at her .._that blush is so beautiful on her.._ "math is a strong point" he shrugged "are you sure? I don't mean are you sure you're good at math, I mean are you sure you don't mind spending a couple of hours with me? Like cooped up in the store?" she asked guiltily, Jim nudged her with his elbow "I'll spring as soon as I get sick a'ya" he joked, she smiled up at him "you're amazing, thank you SO much, it will be done in like half the time" she said gratefully as they reached the store. Jim took her key gently from her hand and unlocked the door before holding it open for her, just as she set he bag down her cell phone rang "hey honey" Delia said cautiously "hey, are you okay?" Melinda asked as she walked into the back room to talk, "shouldn't _I_ be asking you that? How are you feeling?" she replied "oh, I'm fine, it was a nasty fall but honestly Delia, I'm really okay, I mean I had Charlie looking after me 24/7" she laughed.

Delia took a deep breath "yeah, so..about Charlie, uh is he...is he okay? It's just because, well...when I came by to check on you, he seemed so stressed out, and I called a few times to check on you but he was really distracted I guess, is he alright?" she asked cautiously. Melinda's stomach dropped, Delia was suspicious, she was asking questions that Melinda knew she would only ask if she thought something was wrong, "well, he's been uuh..really stressed out you know, worried about me and the baby, I'm sure he didn't mean to come off brash" Melinda apologized "Melinda, are you _okay_?" she pressed, sounding desperate, Melinda's breath hitched and she cleared her throat "I'm fine" she said softly, "I..." she took a deep breath and steadied her voice "I'm totally okay, thank you though, for being worried, it's sweet of you. Hey, why don't you come over later, you can bring Ned if you want, I never got a chance to talk to him" Melinda suggested hoping she would take the bait and allow her to change the subject. "That would be great, do you want me to bring dinner?" she asked, Melinda smiled "don't worry about it, we can order in...do you mind if I bring someone along? He's a friend I'm trying to mentor in 'Grandview tourist's guide' and I have a feeling that Ned might like him too, could be just what he needs" she asked, Delia laughed "unless he's a cop, I doubt Ned will listen" she laughed, Melinda chuckled "give it a try?" "sure, see you at 7?" Delia replied happily. "I'll see you tonight, don't let Ned say no!" Delia laughed "ha! Like that kid would ever give up a chance to see _you_, I've never seen him look at anyone else to puppy-eyed and drooly, you'd think he had no concept of age, its gross" she complained, "I'll restrain myself, don't you worry" Melinda joked before they said goodbye and hung up.

When she walked back into the main store Jim had disappeared, but his jacket was sitting on the counter "weird" she mumbled, glancing around to make sure he wasn't there, she picked up his jacket and brought it to her face slowly, as his clean scent washed over her she sighed quietly

_-"honey I'm home" Jim called, he tossed his jacket onto the table by the front door and Melinda smiled "hey sweetie" she chirped as she ran to meet him "God, I missed you so much...you've been gone for way too long" she complained as she flew into his arms and they wrapped around her slender waist "I've been gone for 2 days Melinda" he laughed, she pulled back and wrapped her arms around his neck "exactly, too long" she giggled. Jim kicked the door closed behind him and lifted her easily "I missed you too baby" he whispered as she rested her head on his chest, "medical conferences suck, but hey, my first speech as a fully qualified doctor" he said with a proud grin. Melinda smirked, "well, doctor, I've been feeling a little love sick recently and no one was here to give me my medicine" she said with wide innocent eyes peering up at him from beneath her dark lashes "Ms. Gordon, this is an emergency, I can't allow this to go on any longer. Take your clothes off and jump on to the examination table" Jim said with a lopsided grin as he pulled Melinda's sweater over her head._

_Melinda laughed as he carried her towards the bedroom, laying down and letting him lay atop her, she smiled. "I love you" she whispered, Jim smiled "I love you too Melinda, always will" he replied, and for the first time in two days, he kissed her.-_

Melinda's eyes were filled with tears as she glanced around in confusion, dropping Jim's jacket back onto her counter she ran a hand through her hair _..what the hell was that? Was it a vision? Or just a wish.._ she wondered, there was a warm feeling that had spread throughout her entire body during the vision, warm and loving, butterflies were just slowing their fluttering in her stomach and she took a deep breath. "You could have it all Melinda, you've seen it for yourself now. It doesn't have to be a dream, it could be yours" Rosie's gentle voice came, Melinda spun around and glared at her "why are you doing this? I want to help you, I want to help Carter, but I _don't_ want you torturing me with all of this, it's not fair. Dangling things in front of me that I can never have-" "but you _**can**_ have it Melinda" Rosie interrupted "stop it! You don't know anything about me, you don't know _me_. I'm not the same as you Rosie, just because you went through this, doesn't mean I'm going to go through the same thing, Charlie is a _good_ man, and he loves me. So stop trying to make me hate him, it's not going to work" she growled bitterly, it almost didn't sound like her own voice. Rosie smiled sadly "I only hope that one day you'll see what's right...for your baby, I'd hate to see something happen to it...something bad" she whispered before disappearing. Melinda was livid, trembling with anger and frustration and fear and resentment, where did Rosie get off? Trying to scare her into leaving the only man who would ever want anything to do with her.

But the thing that angered Melinda the most...she wanted it, the vision, the love, the friendship. She wanted Jim. Because she knew that there was a tiny chance, the tiniest of chances _ever,_ that maybe she _was_ worth more than Charlie made her believe, maybe she was worth loving. Melinda dismissed the thought quickly, of course she wasn't worth anything, she didn't even deserve to have Charlie, yet he somehow put up with all of her inadequacies, no matter how stupid she was, how weird and scattered, no matter how much trouble she caused. So she should just shut up and be happy. Right?

Melinda wiped a traitorous tear from her cheek and turned around as the door opened "I got coffee" Jim said with a smile.

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_**Would life ever get any better? Would I always be this hurt, in so much pain every single day, waking up and dreading what each new moment would bring. I couldn't see past it anymore, it used to be that I could push all of the sadness away, smother it in all of the goods things in my life and eventually I would forget about it. But it wasn't working anymore, every day there were less good things, every day I cried for a life that I was leaving behind, I loved him so much and yet I knew that he would bring the end of my life, the end of my happiness. The torment I was experiencing in each second of each hour of each day..it was crushing me. I wanted nothing more than to run into your arms, a stranger almost, and cry out to you, tell you everything he had ever done to me. But I knew you couldn't do anything about it, who was I to you? A freak? A waste of time? Nothing. So I would hide that pain behind the weakest of fake smiles, and I would live.**_

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Please leave a review. Let me know what you think and I'll have the next Chapter up VERY soon x Thanks guys, I hope you're all well xXxXxXxX


	24. And the cavalry has arrived

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**Thanks sooooo much for all the amazing reviews guys, I'm so glad you're all still with me and still enjoying the story, I know I definitely still love writing it! Lots of love x**

"Are you okay Mel?" Jim asked gently, Melinda looked up at him and just let herself get lost in his bright blue eyes, he frowned as he took in her pained expression, the corners of her mouth slightly downturned, her eyes watery and her cheeks flushed "hey, sweetie it's okay" he soothed, he set the coffee container down and eyed Melinda hesitantly before pulling her into his arms. Melinda took a deep breath "thanks" she whispered "Melinda, are you alright?" he asked gently, she nodded into his chest and began to pull away but he held her tighter "sssh" he whispered. Melinda didn't argue, she didn't try to let him go, she just relaxed in his arms and let him hold her _..why can't I just tell him? Maybe he would help me? I need help, I know I do. I can't let this baby down, I can't let Charlie hurt me.._ "I...Charlie.." she mumbled, Jim pulled her back and held her shoulders gently "what?" he asked, Melinda took a deep breath _..I can't do it, I can't tell him.._ "Uh, Charlie's working and I thought I would have my friend Delia over, would you join us for dinner? I can't cook to save my life but takeout and some company...what do you think?" she asked, Jim smiled "you're sure that's okay?" he asked, she nodded _..no, it's not okay, I don't know what I'm doing, why am I trying to keep you close?.._ "okay...what aren't you telling me?" he asked.

"Delia has a son called Ned, he's a great kid, smart, funny, really sweet, but he's been kind of going through a rough patch recently, Delia's at her wits end. His father died a few years ago, and I'm not asking you to do much, I just wondered if maybe you could just...I don't know...never mind, it was a stupid idea" Melinda dismissed, Jim rubbed her arms and gave her a soft smile "I'll talk to him, let him know that if he ever needs a guy to be there...I'll be happy to listen. It's not a stupid idea Mel, I know what it's like to lose a parent, I think it would have been a lot easier if I had someone.._anyone_ to talk to" he said with a pensive frown which quickly softened back into a small smile. "Thank you, I promised her I would talk to him, she thinks he'll listen to me better than he will to her, I don't know...I'm going to give it a try" she said. "That's a really wonderful thing for you to do Melinda, you're a good person" he said softly, his eyes bore into her own and she fought hard to regulate her racing heart, "thank you" she whispered. Jim squeezed her arm affectionately and smiled "come on, inventory" he said with a sigh, he two of them sat either side of the counter and Melinda lifted a box of paperwork onto it "hey, this isn't too bad, looks like you've kept on top of it so far" he said with a smile, Melinda nodded "we try to...but, we've been busy recently so.." she trailed off .._you weren't busy Melinda, you were at home in bed waiting for your bruises to fade, stop lying. You're lying to everyone, every time you smile, you __**lie**__.._

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Jim and Melinda ended up staying in the store until after 5pm when it began to get dark, the sky taking on a purplish tint, "what about the house? Do you have room for the baby or will you move?" Jim asked curiously, they were learning so much about each other, the paperwork was finished within a couple of hours and the rest of the afternoon had been spent just talking comfortably, "we have a couple of spare bedrooms so I guess we'll turn one into a nursery at some point, I definitely won't be leaving Grandview anytime soon, I love it here" she said with a grin as she straightened out the display of ornaments on one of her shelves, Jim came up behind her, dangerously close and picked one of the tiny figurines up, every inch of Melinda's body hummed with electricity, she wanted nothing more than to lean back against him and feel his body against hers. She imagined how safe she would feel if he could hold her, how happy he could make her, "these are beautiful" Jim said as he set it back down, she turned around and looked up at him and he set it back down "I walked here, would uh...would you mind dropping me back at my place so I can get changed? Then I'll get a cab over to your place" Jim asked, Melinda steadied her breathing and stepped out from between Jim and the shelves, she grabbed his jacket and tossed it at him with a smile "no take necessary, I'll wait for you" she said, he smiled "thanks".

They drove to Jim's house in a comfortable silence, Jim watching the sunset, Melinda watching the road, once they pulled up into his driveway, he jumped out and went around the car to open Melinda's door for her. "Thanks" she murmured shyly, Jim let them in and led her upstairs "the downstairs living room reeks of paint" he explained, "I won't be long, there are some magazines in there, and the TV controls are on the cabinet" he told her before rushing down the hall to get changed. Melinda sat on the couch stiffly, she was feeling a little uncomfortable, so confused by what she was experiencing with Jim, she wanted him so badly, yet she never loved anyone more than she loved Charlie, the whole thing made her uneasy and she was unsure if she could trust herself to be around Jim without telling him her secret. There was a huge part of her that really wanted him to know, to protect her and help bring Charlie to justice, but she knew she couldn't do it. Turning the TV on she let herself relax for a while as she waited for Jim.

"I'm ready" he announced as he walked back into his living room, Melinda looked up and felt her breath hitch, Jim was wearing charcoal gray slacks with a deep midnight blue button down shirt which had its sleeves rolled up a little. "You look great" Melinda complimented quietly "thanks, what time are your friends getting to your house?" he asked, Melinda glanced at the clock "just over an hour, they'll be there at 7" she said "do you mind me hanging around your place until then?" he asked sceptically, Melinda chuckled "I'll be glad for the company, don't worry" she said with a smile. They turned off the lights and locked up before hopping into Melinda's car and driving over to her place, as Melinda passed the square, which was now dark other than the occasional streetlamp, she saw a group of guys all crowded around something. "He's in trouble!" Rosie screeched as she appeared in the back seat, leaning forward between Jim and Melinda's seats "Carter?" Melinda whispered "huh?" Jim asked, Melinda pulled over without explanation and threw her door open, "HEY!" she screamed, "Melinda? What are you doing?" Jim yelled, "Help him" Rosie cried, Melinda ran straight up to the guys, her boots tapping on the pavement.

"You're a fuckin' freak man!" one guy yelled, "get off me!" came Carter's pained cry, Melinda's eyes widened in horror, there were 5 of them, 5 older guy, around 18-19, all throwing punches and jeering at the 15 year old boy, "STOP IT!" Melinda screamed, a couple of the guys turned around and gave loud wolf whistles "Carter, come here" Melinda called, "woah! You know her? Whole new level of respect dude" one guy said as he smacked Carter's back in rough appreciation, "hey, you're getting rescued by a girl" one of the oldest looking boys laughed "yeah, but a hot one" his friend added eyes Melinda a little too appreciatively, Jim had caught up by now and as he approached, the guys squared up to him, sizing him up and checking to see if they could beat him in a fight. "Whaddup douchebag? This belong to you?" a guy asked holding Carter by the front of his shirt. Carter drew his fist back and swung a harsh punch that caused a sickening crack from the boys nose "you prick!" the guy yelled, as he drew his hand back, his elbow smacked Melinda square in the chest and she staggered slightly.

"RIGHT, THAT'S IT!" Jim yelled, Melinda flinched, his face was contorted into rage and his voice boomed so loud she felt it vibrate through her head, Carter was dropped to the ground as Jim grabbed the boy who had been holding him and shoved him into a wall "you get a kick out of beating on kids? How old are you?" he demanded, "go to hell" he answered rudely, Melinda took Carter's hand in her own as they watched nervously. Jim held his forearm across the guys neck and shoved him harder "I asked you a question" "I'm 21" the guy replied, "oh that's just pathetic! Really? Do you have nothing better to do than to beat up a high school kid? Is your life _that _miserable?" he growled, he released the guy and gave him a firm swat to the back of his head "go home! All of you, get out of here!" he yelled, the guys eyes him defiantly until their apparent leader kissed his teeth and motioned for them to leave "last thing _homeboy_" Jim called, he turned around "what?" he asked "I think he deserves an apology, don't you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. The guy rolled his eyes "he don't deserve nothin'" he replied, "hmm, well I'm pretty sure the New York Police Department's policies on assault would disagree" Jim said with a smug shit-eating grin, "I'm sorry" the guy mumbled before running off to his buddies who all laughed at him loudly.

"Melinda! What the hell were you thinking?" Jim yelled, she flinched back and Carter squeezed her hand slightly, Melinda's stomach dropped .._he must be thinking that Jim is like his father, that he's hurting me.._ she thought "leave her alone!" Carter yelled, Melinda squeezed his hand and turned to him "sssh, it's okay honey, he's nothing like him, I promise" she said softly, Jim's expression was one of such confusion that it would have been comical if the situation weren't so heavy, "he yelled at you" Carter said, his desperate eyes urging Melinda to listen, "he's just a friend honey, I promise you he's a good guy-" "what's going on?" Jim finally asked, Melinda smiled "Jim, this is Carter, Carter, this is Jim Clancy, he's a medical intern at Mercy General" Melinda explained, Jim shook his hand and eyes a cut on his forehead "you okay?" he asked, Carter glanced at Melinda and nodded, "thanks...for what you did, they're just punks from Rockland U" he said. "Mel, you have to be careful, you should have let me go first" Jim said softly, she nodded "I know, I panicked" she said softly "why do you have to be careful, are you sick?" Carter asked, Melinda smiled "I'm pregnant" she replied, "congratulations" he gave her a tight hug and she stroked his silky blonde hair "are you okay honey?" she asked, he nodded "I'll be fine...don't know how I'm gonna explain this to my dad though...hopefully it will have faded by the time he gets back" he said as he touched the cut on his head.

"How long is he gone for?" Melinda asked worriedly "uh...a couple of weeks" "2 weeks? How old are you?" Jim asked, "15" he replied, "I'm not leaving you alone for two weeks, that's insane. Do you even have enough food and stuff?" Melinda asked, he nodded "my dad left me some money, I was just on my way to get some takeout when those guys rushed me"."Well, my takeout is as good as any. Honey, I'm having some people over, my best friend's son is coming and he's your age, will you come? We're just gonna order out for dinner, I can't cook to save my life" she admitted "are you sure...I don't wanna intrude, I mean, I don't know them..." "hey, neither do I, we'll be newbies together" Jim chuckled, Carter smiled "thanks Melinda, for everything" he whispered "your mom wants you safe, and so do I" she replied quietly stroking his cheek and wincing at his bruise. "Okay newbies, let's go meet the gang" Melinda said with a giggle as the climbed into her car.

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Leave a review and the next chapter will be up soon! Love you all xx


	25. I wished it could be real

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**Wow, two updates in one day. Well two days I guess since its after 3 in the frickin morning! Damn I'm so tired that I can't sleep lol :) thank you all for your reviews! It's really sweet that you're still willing to review after all this time, it keeps me going! Once again-reviews will bring you the next chapter as soon as I wake up! Xx Lolly xX**

"You have a really nice house Melinda" Carter said with a smile, she returned it as she unlocked the door "thank you sweetie, make yourself at home, Delia and Ned should be here soon, can I get you guys something to drink?" she asked, Jim smiled "how about...you sit down, and I'll go to get _you_ something to drink" he suggested, Melinda smiled "you don't even know which direction the kitchen is in" she laughed "I'm a big boy, I'll figure it out" he said. As Jim left the two of them alone Melinda turned to Carter worriedly "what happened to you?" she asked frantically "I don't know who they were, they just rushed me on the sidewalk and started yelling about me being an asshole and stuff, I think they were drunk or high or something. Are you okay? Is he your boyfriend?" he asked with a glanced in Jim's general direction "no sweetie, my boyfriends name is Charlie, Jim is just a buddy, he's a great guy I promise, he only yelled earlier because he was worried about the baby" she said with a comforting smile. "Are you hurt? I saw one of them hit you" he asked quietly "I'm fine honey, it was just an accident, the guy wasn't paying much attention"

"Okay...soda for Carter...and I made you some tea Mel, is that okay?" Jim asked as he walked in, she smiled warmly "that's actually perfect, you read my mind" she laughed. "So Carter, I want you to drop by the store okay, whenever you want to, if I'm not there you can call me..." Melinda pulled a little business card with her cell number on it "I don't want you alone for two weeks, okay, you can come by here whenever you want" she said sweetly, he grinned "you're awesome" he replied with a smile as she ruffled his hair affectionately "let me fix that up for ya kiddo" Jim said with a sympathetic smile, "have you got a first aid kit?" he questioned Melinda, she nodded and left to retrieve it from a kitchen cupboard under the sink. "Here you go" she said, Jim took out an alcohol free wipe and cleaned the cut carefully before putting a clear band-aid over the small wound, "all good?" he asked, Carter nodded "thanks man" he said with a smile. Melinda turned the TV on and sat back, "have you seen my mom recently?" Carter asked, Melinda's eyes widened and she shook her head deliberately to let him know that Jim wasn't aware of what she could do "she dropped by earlier actually, she's worried about you" Melinda said softly, Jim was preoccupied with a baseball game and Carter gave her a subtle nod to let her know he understood what she was trying to let him know.

They talked easily over the game and Melinda found herself praying that the night would never end, she loved this...being surrounded by people who cared for her and treated her like an _equal_ instead of a doormat that could just be walked all over. "When's Charlie coming home?" Jim asked curiously. Dream over. Melinda smiled falsely "Saturday, he had two double shifts so it's easier for him to just sleep at the firehouse overnight in case something happens in between shifts" she explained, he nodded, just then the doorbell rang and Melinda could hear Delia telling Ned to behave himself like a 'good little man' she rolled her eyes "the kid's 15, not 5" she mumbled, Carter gave her a knowing chuckle as she got up to answer the door. "Hey honey!" Delia squealed "God, I haven't seen you in like...so long" she complained as she stepped inside and embraced Melinda tightly, kissing her cheek then releasing her, Ned was next and he blushed slightly when Melinda kissed him "you're so tall now" she said as he hugged her, she now fit into his arms like a little puzzle piece "all grown up" he said with a proud smile. "Ha! You wish, you're always going to be my little baby" Delia said as she resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks affectionately, he ducked away from her eager hands and she laughed "hey man, I'm Ned" he introduced himself to Carter quickly "Carter, I actually think I've seen you at school, do you have History with Mr Artell?" he asked, Ned nodded "and Physics with-" "Mrs Harper" the said simultaneously, Melinda smiled warmly, she hoped that they would become friends, that Ned would have someone to talk to and Carter would have someone to look out for him. Delia raised an eyebrow "Melinda Gordon, are you playing match-maker with my son?" she asked suspiciously, "I may have figured out a little play date" she replied slyly "Delia, Ned, this is Jim Clancy" she introduced, they both shook his hand and Delia gave Carter a quick hug which made him smile, he hadn't had a mother or a real family in so long that to be surrounded by these people now amazed him.

"Okay, I'm starving so let's get the menus and order" Melinda said rummaging through a stack of magazines and flyers under the coffee table

_**-next time...I don't wanna hear it, okay?" Charlie asked through gritted teeth as his thumb stayed firmly against Melinda's soft skin "I'm...ss..sorry" Melinda whimpered between sobs**__**Charlie removed his thumb and pushed Melinda away with one swipe of his muscular arm, she fell to the floor and hit her cheek hard on the corner of their glass coffee table-**_

Melinda closed her eyes and pushed the memory to the back of her mind, her fingers lightly pressed her cheek and she winced at the pain, even after nearly a month the pain was still here- not helped by the fact that she had been hit so many times since then. "Chinese, Indian, Italian or...Lebanese?" Melinda asked holding up four different menus "I call Chinese!" Delia squealed, "Indian" Melinda said with a grin, "anyone want Italian or Lebanese" "no thanks" they chorused. She passed around the menus with a pen and told everyone to put a star next to whatever they wanted. When it came around to Carter he looked over at her uncertainly "whatever you want honey" she assured him, he smiled and made his pick.

"Dude, what happened to you head?" Ned asked Carter curiously, he shrugged " some assholes from Rockland. Johnny Fielder and his little gang of douche-bags" he explain with disdain, Delia's ears pricked up instantly and she leaned over to Melinda whispered quietly "Johnny Fielder is one of those new 'buddies' I was telling you about. See, I told you these kids were no good, look what they did to Carter" she said worriedly, Melinda bit her lip "Ned, would you mind helping me get some more drinks sweetie?" she asked, he looked up from what seemed to be a comical conversation with Carter and nodded "sure" he followed her into the kitchen and as soon as he got through the door she shut it behind him. "Johnny Fielder. You know him" she stated, her tone was somewhat angry and Ned felt a heavy lump of guilt weigh down his stomach "yeah...he's a friend" he explained "no, Ned, he's not a good person, look what he did to Carter! And he's 21 years old honey, how did you even get to know him?" she asked incredulously, he shrugged "I guess...I was their last Carter" he mumbled. "They beat you up!" she screeched as quietly as she could making Ned wince "well they tried, I fought back and so they figured that I could be...I don't know..like 'one of them' I guess" he said, Melinda shook her head "sit down" she commanded as she pulled out a chair for him, Ned did as he was told and she sat directly in front of him "listen to me Ned, in all the time that I've known you, you have been nothing but a charming, sweet, funny young man. Someone that I love spending time with, who's respectful to others...especially to his mom" she said softly. "Why are you doing this Melinda? I know my mom told you to" he bit defiantly, Melinda wasn't going to get angry though, she lay a hand on his shoulder "your mom didn't _tell_ me to do anything, she has been so worried about you lately, you're distracted, your grades have plummeted, you won't talk to her and when you do you're being rude. Your mother is my _best_ friend, okay? That means when she's hurt, so am I, I don't want you to be the kind of person that does that to people. You're so much better than them sweetie, and you have so many other friends. I just don't understand why you would feel like being with them is worth anything" her voice was questioning and Ned looked up to find her deep brown eyes searching his.

"I just wanted to be a part of something different, I have being known as a good kid all of the time, I just wanted people to see me as like...older and...a little dangerous. I know it's stupid, I mean, I don't even really like any of those guys and I'm pretty sure they don't like me either, I just thought if I could get a better..or _worse_ rep around school them people wouldn't see me as such a golden boy" he sighed quietly and Melinda knew it must have been a relief to get that off his chest. "Ned, you're a wonderful young man, and I don't want anything to change that. Please think twice about it next time they ask you to go somewhere with them, if Jim and I had called the police tonight, they would all be sitting in a holding cell down at the police station. Next time they might not be so lucky, and neither will you, is it really worth it?" she asked. Ned shook his head "no, I guess not" he sighed, Melinda kissed his forehead and stood up to grab some glasses "here, can you carry these please?" she asked handing him bottles of soda, just as she went to open the door Ned stepped in front of her and set the bottles down, Melinda did the same with the glasses and he pulled her into a tight hug "thank you" he whispered, "thank _you_" she replied quietly, giving her a big smile he opened the door and headed back into the living room, when they got back Jim and Carter were sitting side by side both tilted at an odd angle to the left, Melinda walked around the couch and giggled as she saw the Wii steering wheels in their hands "I can't believe I didn't think of that" she said as they set the drinks down. "Owned!" Carter yelled as his car skidded over the finish line, everyone laughed at the outburst and his cheeks were tinted pink "okay Carter, you think you got skill?" Ned asked as Jim handed him the wheel "just watch me" he replied with a smirk. Melinda smiled, this was al lshe had ever wanted, a family, her best friend...and Jim. Jim was the one problem with this night, not because of anything he had done, because of what _she_ _couldn't_ do, Melinda wanted to curl up against his side and have his fingers running through her hair and when everyone else had left she wanted to be alone with him, just the two of them.

Little did she know, Jim was struggling too, he wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss Melinda when he felt like it, to pull her into his lap and kiss her so deeply that everyone else would want to leave the room, to have her in his arms as he carried her to bed...he shook the inappropriate thoughts from his mind and went back to watching the race, even though he wasn't staring at her wistfully anymore, he was still thinking about her. Always.


	26. You, me, and Little Crowley

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended!**

**Thanks again for the review guys, you're all amazing xx Just a little fluffy Jimel stuff here, and hey...Review soon because the next chapter Jim is going to see something that sets the ball rolling....that's all I'm telling ya! X x Lolly x X**

**I just want to say, for anyone who doesn't know yet. The bastards at CBS have cancelled Ghost Whisperer, this Friday's episode will be the last. I'm so heartbroken right now, not cool man, not cool.**

It was 11pm when everyone decided to leave Melinda's house, the night had been amazing, filled with jokes, laughter, games and friendship. Ned and Carter's connection had exceeded even Melinda's expectations and they exchanged numbers with plans to go hang out at the arcades on Saturday, at one point Rosie appeared and quietly thanked Melinda for everything she had done for Carter, keeping him safe. Melinda couldn't help but worry about him though, how could his father have thought it was acceptable to leave him alone for 2 weeks at only 15 years old, she was beginning to think that this poor treatment may have been what was keeping Rosie earthbound.

"Okay, I'll drop Carter home first, then you Jim" she declared as she pulled her jacket on "where do you live sweetheart?" Delia asked "23rd and 2nd , right by the new hotel" Carter replied. "Well hey! You're only a few blocks away from us, Melinda don't worry about it, I can take him home" she offered, Carter and Ned shared hopeful glances before looking back at Melinda "fine by me, you take care of yourself Carter, and don't forget to come see me at the store" Melinda hugged him tightly then moved over to Ned "and you...are _very_ welcome anytime too" she said giving him a kiss on the cheek "play nice with your mom" she warned with a raised eyebrow "golden boy" he replied drawing a halo in the air with his finger. "Miracle" Delia huffed "how is it that my son listens to my best friend better than he listens to me?" she asked incredulously, Jim raised an eyebrow "Melinda has a certain..._charm_ about her" he said poking her with his elbow lightly, she grinned up at him then hugged Delia goodbye. "Are you ready to go or do you want to have a drink or something?" Melinda asked, she was silently hoping he would want to stay, any extra seconds with him were a Godsend. "I wouldn't say no to a coffee" he chuckled, Melinda smiled they headed back into the living room and Melinda reached the kitchen just as the phone began to ring "hello?" she said softly, "hey honey, you alright?" Charlie asked, she smiled "yeah, I'm good, Delia and Ned just left...we had takeout" she told him happily, "feeding my kid junk already Gordon?" he asked jokingly, Melinda laughed "the munchkin seemed to enjoy it actually, I don't feel sick at all" "well that's good, so I was thinking, I'm gonna have some guys over on Saturday night, okay?" he asked, "okay" Melinda answered quickly, she knew he wasn't asking permission, he was just warning her to be home, have the house tidy, and dinner on the table for he and his friends. "Alright, well I'm gonna head back to work honey, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you both" he said sweetly, Melinda fought the urge to cringe "we love you too baby" she replied with a hand on her stomach.

Jim walked in just as she hung up and turned around, she let out a short gasp at finding him in front of her "sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" he said with a smirk "yes you did" she replied with a roll of her eyes. "What are you doing tomorrow? Are you at the store?" Jim asked as Melinda fiddled with the coffee maker, she shook her head "only have to go pick up the mail now that the inventory has been done, why do you ask?" Melinda said softly, "it's my last day off tomorrow, then I'll be working weird hours for a while, you uh...do you wanna do something?" he asked, Melinda smiled "sure, what did you have in mind?" she asked. "I don't mind, anything you want to, maybe we could go to Little Crowley?" Melinda smiled at the fact that Jim had remembered the little town she had described to him "well, the weather's meant to be really good...we could have a picnic or something?" she asked nervously _..what if he hates the idea, what if he thinks it's completely sappy and stupid?.._ she panicked, Jim smiled "that's a great idea, I'll make sandwiches" he said happily, Melinda looked down for a second before pouring the coffee into two cups and sitting beside him. "So, how are you feeling, gonna throw up on me again?" Jim asked with a smirk, Melinda narrowed her eyes "I feel fine Clancy, and I didn't throw up _on_ you, just...in your house" she protested with an embarrassed blush, "it's okay, I tend to have that effect on women" he joked, she smiled and her heart jumped when he touched her arm, she looked up at him in surprise before pulling her hand away, before he had a chance to register the hurt, Melinda's hand was slapped on top of his and she was smiling widely, he did the same as she had then when she tried to do it again Jim grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers. Hot electricity flowed between them and Melinda felt a near uncontrollable urge to touch him "what are we doing?" she whispered "I don't know, but whatever it is...I'm not gonna be the one to stop it" Jim said, his voice was husky and Melinda could see the lust in his eyes.

"Well, thanks so much for all of this, it was great, I'm glad to know some people around her now. I have a clique to be part of" he joked trying to distract from the sexual tension between them "a clique of freaks" she laughed. "I better go, I'll come and pick you up from home in the morning and we can stop by the store on the way" Jim suggested, Melinda shook her head "I'll drop by the store first then pick you up, that way I can drop you home and go check on Carter" she said. Jim smiled "what you're doing for those kids is amazing, you know that, right?" he asked, "I'm just doing what any decent person would" she shrugged "no Melinda, there aren't many people who would go to the lengths that you are to ensure that Carter and Ned are safe, I know Ned has Delia...but he obviously prefers to talk to you, it's great that you're letting them lean on you like that" he said softly, he pulled his hand from Melinda's and ran it across her cheek "call me before you leave home" he kissed her cheek softly, his lips lingering a few seconds longer than a platonic kiss, and Melinda smiled "bye Jim" she whispered "goodbye Mel" he replied before showing himself out. Melinda slumped onto the table in a heap of guilt "he's so perfect" she sighed, just then she heard someone clear their throat "I uh..I left my jacket" Jim said with a smug grin which told Melinda he heard what she just said, her cheeks were on fire "uh...I..um. Jim, I..." she stuttered, he picked up his jacket and walked out the door "Jim, wait..I didn't mean.." he turned around and smiled just as he reached the door "if you want me to forget that I heard that, I will...but for the record...I think you're pretty damn perfect too Mel" he smiled before walking out and shutting the door behind him. "Can anyone spell humiliated?" she grumbled.

* * *

Melinda woke up the next morning feeling horribly sick, she clamped her eyes shut and groaned, her stomach was in knots and she felt as though she had just spent an hour on a sailboat "so much for those meds" she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes tiredly, Melinda rolled out of bed landing clumsily then stumbled to the bathroom "and here I am again, hugging the porcelain" she whined as her stomach flip flopped, she took a deep breath and was just about to exhale when last night's takeout decided to make a repeat appearance, her stomach clenched and twisted until it was completely devoid of any contents and Melinda was able to stand up, albeit a little shakily. "Munchkin in a bad mood today?" she asked her stomach with a frown, after brushing her teeth and washing her face she decided to jump straight in the shower, it wasn't until she emerged in her fluffy bathrobe and a towel around her hair that she caught sight of the clock. "4am? Are you kidding me?" she grumbled tiredly, the exasperation in her voice almost comical. "This is not funny, you're going to learn to let me sleep unless you want mommy to be cranky when you get here" she scolded her baby gently, with a slight smile she lay on the bed and slipped one hand under the robe to rest on her stomach. Gently tracing patterns on the not-there-yet bulge, she quickly found herself falling abck into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

6 hours later, at just after 10, Melinda was dressed in a deep purple satin corseted blouse which she had tucked into a pair of high waisted white ripped skinny jeans, she pulled on a pair of knee high black boots and a loose black blazer then headed down to the kitchen. So that she wouldn't be completely starving by the time she had her picnic with Jim, Melinda ad a cup of coffee and a toasted bagel to start her day, her hair was straight and the layers choppy and rocker like, her eyes were lined with black and gold and her lips glossy and pink. "Jim?" she asked into her phone as she swallowed her last bite of bagel "morning preggers" he chirped, she narrowed her eyes "one more time and I'll kill you" she growled at the nickname, he chuckled "well that is something I'd _definitely_ like to see you try" he mocked, Melinda rolled her eyes "I'm about to head to the store, I'll be at your place in like 20 minutes maximum" she said as she picked up her keys and a small picnic basket she had packed with bottles of juice, cupcakes, fruit salad and a few other snacks. Slipping it onto the backseat she drove quickly to the store, all the while singing along to her radio. Being a Friday, the bills were waiting for her and she groaned before shoving them in the glove compartment and setting out to Jim's.

"Hello m'lady" Jim greeted from the outside step where he was sitting with a beer in his hand, as she walked up Melinda noticed the sun giving him the sexiest glow she had ever seen and she longed to get closer...too close. "you're starting early" she commented with a raised eyebrow, he held up the beer "perfectly acceptable for picnic days" he justified as he stood up to give her a hug and a rather forceful kiss on the cheek, his lips pressed against her skin sending a jolt through her and she wanted _more_. "Let's go..._preggers_" Jim taunted, Melinda pulled back glared at him playfully "oh you've really done it now Clancy. Don't say I didn't warn you" she growled as he backed up slowly, she flashed him an evil grin and sprinted towards him just as he took off running towards her car.

_**Some days made it so much easier to pretend to be normal, and the fake smiles became near real, the nervous laughs became bold and uninhibited, and the fears became memories. You did that for me. Only you.**_


	27. I wanted to tell you

**I do not own any of the music, products or movies mentioned in this fic and as much as I wish I did.........I don't own GhostWhisperer or any of its characters, I do however, own those characters and storylines which appear in this fanfic, but not in the show. No copyright infringement intended**

"It's so beautiful here" Melinda said with a smile, Jim spread a large blanket out and used Melinda's picnic basket to hold down a corner, Melinda sat cross legged, and out of a bag he had packed Jim brought a pillow and lay it behind her before touching her shoulder in enticement to lie down. Complying, Melinda lay down, stretched out her legs and crossed them at her ankles, her hair was shining with red highlights, her eyes sparkling a golden brown, Jim smiled and handed her a sandwich he had made "thank you" she said softly.

The morning had been spent wandering in and out of the tiny boutiques and hidden antique stores, every time Melinda reached out and touched Jim's arm to guide him in the direction of something she wanted to show, Jim's heart would race and he silently prayed that she would decide not to ever move that hand. She did though, it would fall back by her side, or be shoved in her pocket, and Jim fought the urge to just yank it back out and clamp his own around it, he knew this wasn't okay...this wasn't how _friends_ were meant to feel about other friends, but who was he to deny his heart the connection it yearned for. He wanted her.

Melinda sat up and pulled her boots and socks off revealing sparkly pink toenails "very mature" Jim chuckled, Melinda kicked his leg lightly and smiled, she rolled up the bottoms of her jeans to just above her knees and pulled her jacket off. Jim wet his top lip as he attempted an inconspicuous glance at her newly revealed skin. _..Oh Lord.._he thought as he noticed just how open the front of her shirt was, so much so that as she leaned over to place the sandwich wrapper in their little paper bag trash, he was granted a perfect view of her cleavage over the top of the black lace of her bra. He averted his eyes but it was too late, that image was going to taunt and tease him whenever he looked at her now, Melinda leaned back onto her elbows and Jim smiled down at her "how'd you find this place?" he asked.

Melinda blinked up at the sun before allowing her eyes to fall closed "a friend of mine, Andrea...when I told her that I was moving here she wanted to come check it out with me, that's the kind of friend she was. She just dropped everything and planned this girls weekend for us, this was the first place we came to when we got here, we were just meant to drive through but when we saw it....Andrea was the best" she added in a whisper, she jumped slightly as a hand brushed her arm, she looked up to see that Jim had moved closer, he was tracing a line up and down her arm and watching the little raised bumps it left in its wake "was?" he asked gently.

"She died, for months ago there was.." Melinda paused to clear her throat as she could tell her voice was about to break weakly, "...there was a plane crash, she had two weeks off work and wanted to go visit her brother...the pilot ran into some kind of complications and...well, Andrea never came home" she said softly. Jim squeezed her arm "I'm sorry" he said softly, "I met her when I was 13 years old, we had been best friends ever since, she was like a sister to me" she said quietly.

"You'll see her again someday" Jim whispered, Melinda smiled "you believe in that? In the afterlife?" she asked hopefully, he grinned "you might think I'm crazy" he replied. Melinda smiled "believe me, I have a very different crazy threshold than most" she assured him. Jim nodded "I believe that when you die, you're not gone, there a part of you that stays behind, maybe you guide your loved ones for a while, and eventually when you're at peace, you move on" he explained, Melinda's mouth popped open _..it's like he knows.._ she thought, but all she said was "I agree".

"So, how's work going for you?" Melinda asked trying to change the subject, Jim tilted his head slightly and Melinda smiled at how the sun caught his tanned skin and gave him a radiant glow, just as it had while he was sitting on his front steps, only this time she was close enough to reach out and touch him....if only she could. "It's pretty hard, you know? I mean, I love it, I really do, but it's awful seeing so many people hurt and sick. I have to spend a certain amount of time on each floor until my residency is complete, so even though I have no intention of becoming an ObG, I have to spend a while on the maternity wards and paediatrics. In some ways it's amazing to see those new little lives coming into the world, but I was up on NICU the other day and-"

"NICU?" Melinda interrupted, Jim nodded "neonatal intensive care unit, it's where all of the really really sick newborns go. It was pretty hard being up there, I mean they're just so small and helpless, it's awful to think that they might not make it, so many babies that..." he trailed off suddenly as he saw a single tear roll down Melinda's cheek and drip from her chin to her chest, she was looking down at her stomach, one hand resting there gently "oh God, that was...what a stupid thing to talk about with a pregnant person. Melinda, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to upset you...I wasn't thinking" he said guiltily, he leaned forward and pulled her other hand into his "hey, you're baby is going to be fine sweetie, look I wasn't even thinking straight, forgive me?" he asked, Melinda wiped the tear but still averted his gaze _"listen to him Melinda"_ came a whisper from over her shoulder, she shuddered slightly and felt anger wash over her as Rosie appeared .._why won't she just leave me alone?.._she thought.

"_That could be your baby Melinda, flat out in an incubator, hooked up to a million and one tubes..all because you stayed with Charlie, all because Charlie can't control himself, all because you couldn't save yourself"_. Melinda raked a hand through her hair and took a deep breath as more tears rolled over her cheeks, now pale white. "Mel...I.." Jim trailed off when she looked up at the sound of his voice and he caught sight of the tears "oh Melinda" he whispered, "I'm sorry" she said quietly as she stood up "I think I'm just gonna head back to the car Jim, I'm so sorry I just..." she said, Jim shook his head and stood up too.

"Stop apologizing Mel, c'mere" he whispered pulling her into his arms, he wasn't sure why it had upset her so much, but he was going to do everything he possibly could to make her feel better again. _"He won't always be there for you Melinda, next time Charlie looses it...next time he snaps. Jim won't be able to save you, you will have nobody to be there to help put you back together. Melinda...Melinda! LISTEN TO ME!"_ she screamed, Melinda pressed her face into Jim's shirt and his arms tightened around her "sssh, you're okay honey" Jim soothed, Melinda wiped the tears away furiously and pulled back with an embarrassed smile. As she stood back Jim gasped "wh.." she trailed off in horror, she knew what Jim was staring at. The tears had wet her cheeks, then rubbing them off would have taken her makeup off revealing her black eye and bruised cheeks, Jim had seen Charlie's marks _"tell him Melinda, tell him it was Charlie, __**please**__"_ Rosie pleaded, Melinda was frozen, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes unable to leave Jim's. Before she had a chance to turn and run, Jim's hand closed around her arm and pulled her towards him "what happened to you?" he asked.

Melinda tried to pull away but his fingers were now digging into her wrist exactly where Charlie's had been before and she yelped in pain, Jim dropped her hand like it had burned him "I'm sorry Mel, I didn't mean to hurt you" he said softly, his eyes were confused though, he hadn't been holding her that hard "no, it's okay...I just, I fell down the stairs a couple of days ago, the bruises aren't all gone and I think I landed weird on my wrist, it's not your fault" she lied swiftly _..why did I say it was a couple of days ago? I should have said a couple of weeks, like I told Delia. What if one of them says something to the other and my stories don't match?.._she thought. Jim sighed in relief seeming to accept it "why didn't you tell me before? I would have checked on you or something" he said, she smiled "I was on strict orders for bed-rest, don't worry" she joked limply, _"Melinda, please tell him what happened"_ Rosie begged, Melinda threw a subtle glare at her and she huffed in frustration before leaving, "so you're okay?" Jim pressed, "an over-emotional, pregnant, blubbering mess...but yes, I'm okay" she confirmed.

Jim glanced at the basket beside them "do you still wanna have lunch? Or we could take it to the store?" he asked, Melinda smiled "let's eat" she said trying to remain calm. Her heart was pounding in her chest .._how close did I just come to him finding out? What would he do if I told him? Would he help me? No, Charlie said I'm not worth it...no one would ever want me, right? So Jim wouldn't care, he'd probably be glad I was being kept in line.._Melinda shook the thoughts from her mind and followed Jim's lead in taking out a cupcake "I'm sorry about before, I didn't mean to get all emotional on you" Melinda apologised quietly, Jim chuckled and she threw him a confused glance "you're apologising for crying?" he asked, she looked down and just gave a small nod, "Melinda, are you still sad?" he asked carefully .._he's so cute when he's worried.._she thought wistfully "m'okay" she said with a small smile.

Jim was frowning down at his cake_...how do you fall down the stairs and give yourself a black eye? Maybe some facial bruising but not like that, and her wrist...how did I not notice those bruises? They don't look like a sprained wrist to me. And she said she thinks she landed funny on it, but __**both**__ of them have bruises on them. Something isn't right...she looks more like she was beaten up to me, I swear to God...I'm going to find out..._


End file.
